Seiyou Academy
by Plush
Summary: EPILOGUE. Fuji Syuusuke, prodigy and heir of the Fuji family. No one ever dare to anger him. Until one day, a certain freshman did the unforgivable: to stand against him. That freshman's name, Echizen Ryoma. FemRyoXFuji
1. Meet Fuji Syuusuke

**Seiyou Academy 1 - Meet Fuji Syuusuke  
**

Disclaimed : I do not own Prince of Tennis.

I wrote this fanfic before "Everything started from that day". I think this one is more interesting than the sequel of "Everything started from that day", which I'm working on right now. So until then, please enjoy this one.

* * *

Summary: Fuji Syuusuke, heir to the Fuji family, prodigy child, top student of Seiyou Academy, respected by all, both students and teachers alike, had always had everything he could possibly want or desire. No one ever dared to say anything against him nor did they ever attempt to stand up to him. But despite his fortunate background, he was discontent with his life – he was bored. Until one day, a new student did the unexpected and the unforgivable: stand up to him. That student was Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

Majestic Hotel.

One night, a cocktail party was held in the one of the most magnificent ball rooms. All of the elites of the Tokyo had gathered. Social meetings like this were always a good opportunity to create bonds with influential people and to gain their favor in order to expand one's business.

A limousine stopped at the entrance of the hotel. The doorman opened the door to the car. From inside stepped out a young brunette who looked to be about 17. He was dressed in a grey pearl suit with a striped scarf as a necktie. The outline of the costume fit his svelte and elegant figure perfectly. It was obvious that the suit could only have been made by the best tailor of Japan.

"Konbanwa (1), Fuji-sama. Welcome to the Majestic Hotel," the doorman said as he bowed deeply.

"Arigatou (2), Nakano-san," Fuji said with a smile as he crossed the red carpet. Nakano, the doorman, smiled. It was always a pleasure to meet Fuji Syuusuke. The young heir even remembered his name. Unlike most elites, Fuji Syuusuke was polite and pleasant to everyone without exception, even to simple commoners like Nakano.

Photographers on the both sides of the carpet brandished their camera to shoot his pictures.

"Fuji-sama (3), this way please!" a photographer requested. Fuji did as asked, still smiling.

_'He will be good for tomorrow/the next issue cover!'_ many of the journalists and photographers thought, happy with their shots.

At the doorstep, Fuji turned back to the journalists and inclined his head in greeting.

"I hope you have a nice evening," Fuji said, then entered the hotel doors. The small attention Fuji gave to the journalists filled them with their approval, once again.

_'He definitely will be on the cover of tomorrow's paper/the next magazine issue,'_ the journalists thought.

It wasn't the first time they thought so and it wouldn't be the last time either. And it was good thing for them, too. Every time Fuji Syuusuke was on the cover, their newspaper or magazine issue was always sold out by the first day of its release. Their bosses made a change when Fuji Syuusuke was on the cover. They printed a third more, a half more, and sometimes even twice as many issues than their usual quantity. But even then, not a single one was left on the shelf. Among the young female population, he was more popular than a rock star or a rising actor. Surprisingly, even the older females had posters of him in their bedroom. He was also highly regarded by the elderly and by his peers.

Fuji Syuusuke was a business prodigy and the next heir to the Fuji Corp company. Ever since he began helping the family business, their profits had tripled and continued to steadily increase. He knew how to read the speculation of the business market and took the right measures to see that the family business prospered. Even during the economic crisis, the Fuji Corp was still at the top. Fuji's foresight prevented the family business from being affected by the inflation. He could detect which market shares would be promising in the future and bought a portion of their stocks beforehand. And he could prevent the lost of profit by predicting which shares would take a turn for the worst and sell them before it was too late. He was a genius in the business world. Not to mention he was the top student at Seiyou Academy, the private institution for the children of the elites in Tokyo, where he was respected by both students and teachers, alike.

"Konbanwa, Fuji-sama," a car producer greeted him.

"Konbanwa," Fuji greeted back.

"Ah Fuji-sama, it's a real pleasure to see you here tonight," a movie producer said.

"It is the same for me."

"Fuji-kun, congratulations on your purchase of the new software company."

"Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate it."

"Fuji-sama, my father, who could not be here tonight, asked me to give you his regards. And mine as well."

"Thank you. I will remember that."

"Ah Fuji-sama, my son will be attending Seiyou Academy next month. Please take good care of him," the owner of the first bank of Japan said. Fuji smiled gracefully, but didn't say anything.

"Fuji-sama, this is my daughter, Yuki. She will be starting at Seiyou Academy next month as well. She is a little scared because it will be a new school for her. Can you please talk to her about the school so that she will be familiar with it?" The girl named Yuki blushed and smiled shyly as Fuji looked down on her.

"Suzuki-dono, once Yuki-san starts school, there will competent and very good teachers who will properly guide your daughter, much better than I could. You won't have to worry."

"Fuji-sama, my daughter will be transferred to Seiyou next month. She will be a sophomore, your kouhai. She is worried because she just came back from England. Could I request that you show her around the school and advise her?"

"Kamuri-dono, since your daughter will be a sophomore, it is highly possible that I will not see her often. The sophomore classes are in the east building while the seniors' classes are held in the west. Thus, I will not be able to help her much. But rest assured, her classmates will take very good care of her. And I know my former teachers. They are all excellent teachers and take their work very seriously. They will take very good care of your daughter."

"Ah, Fuji-kun. This is my daughter Ayami. She will be a senior like you. Why don't you invite her to dance? The orchestra has an excellent conductor tonight."

"I'm sorry, Mitsubishi-dono (4), but I have to meet someone now. I must find him before he leaves. Please, excuse-me."

* * *

_'Ah,'_ Fuji sighed as he escaped to one of the private lounges. _'Finally.'_

He walked onto the balcony, thinking about his life. He was willing to take responsibility over the family business in exchange for his younger brother's freedom. Yuuta would not be pressured by their father as long as Fuji kept his promise. All these people who came to him came only for their own benefit. It was obvious. They ordered their sons to be friendly with him so they could gain future contribution for their businesses. They presented him their daughters in hope for a future alliance to reach a higher status among the world of the elites. He was disgusted by it all. He desperately wanted to spare Yuuta from that kind of life, but sometimes, Fuji wished he could escape it as well.

_'Ah,'_ Fuji sighed again.

"If I knew of a way to escape, I would have already told you," a voice behind him said.

Fuji turned around to see Atobe Keigo.

"Atobe."

Atobe handed him a glass of punch.

"But there is no escape route for people like us. I have learned to accept this finality and deal with it. Once I had accepted it, life became much easier for me. You should do the same, Fuji."

Fuji didn't say anything. Fuji always had everything thing he had desired - except for freedom, the only thing he was ever denied. Even when he hadn't asked, just by laying his eyes on something, it was immediately brought up to him. Everyone wanted to get his attention, but no one dared to say anything against him or face him. Around him, it was only submission. He was bored, bored of everything, even bored with his own life.

Looking up into the night sky, he saw a shooting star. He made a wish.

_'Please kami-sama, grant me something worthy of this life, something to put an end to my boredom.'_

* * *

(1) konbanwa: good evening;

(2) arigatou: thank you;

(3) -sama: suffix of very high respect;

(4) -dono: another suffix of respect.

Re-posted on Tuesday July 3, 2012. Betae'd by PLF94.


	2. Meet Echizen Ryoma

_'I'm going to crush him!'_

Hit.

"30-love. Echizen Ryoma." The referree voice said.

_'H-how come?'_ Echizen Nanjirou gasped. He was pushed to his limit by the short teen player. Just one last ball and he will lose.

On the other hand, Ryoma was happy, very happy. Just one ball, just one… Ryoma serve.

_Pum!_

_'Just one more ball...'_ Ryoma smiled as the ball flew to Nanjirou's court side. Nanjirou jumped to reach it, but he was half a step too late. Ryoma smiled wider. Nanjirou's racket didn't reach the ball. The ball came within a hair of the frame of the racket. In slow motion, the ball continued its way.

_'That's it!'_ Ryoma thought. The ball was going to hit the ground. It was Ryoma's victo-

* * *

"RISE AND SHINE CHIBISUKE!" Ryoga yelled, bursting in Ryoma's bedroom.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma shrieked.

_Bump!_

She felt down her bed. Karupin hopped away, so he won't be crushed by his mistress, just in time.

"Aniki…" Ryoma growled menacingly, her first slowly raising, a vein popped on her head.

She was so near beating her father. If she could have dreamed just little bit longer, it would be her victory. Her victory against Echizen Nanjirou! But that stupid big brother of hers just ruined her dream!

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…" Ryoma growled louder. Ryoga froze, but…

"Oops… Yabe (1)! I didn't mean to do that… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! DON'T KILL ME!" But Ryoma still chased after him. That stupid big brother of her with his huge sister complex deserved to die at her hands. And now!

"Come back here! Don't think that you can escape from me!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Someone save me!" And the usual morning hunting session occurred again.

Karupin meowed in annoyance. He didn't like to be wake up rudely like that – so much like his mistress – but he won't chase after the culprit right now. He was wiser than that. He returned to his mistress's pillow, curled up and returned back to sleep. Once he'll had slept and was rested, he would think of a way to make the culprit pay.

* * *

Breakfast time.

Ryoga and Ryoma appeared down in the kitchen.

"Ohayou (2), Ryoga-san, Ryoma-chan," Nanako, their cousin, greeted them, smiling, while opening the first-aid kit. Somehow, she had the feeling that she would need it, so she took it out before hand.

"What happened this time?" Rinko asked her two children.

"Aniki slipped and fell on the floor. It's so stupid to be that clumsy for someone of his age!" Ryoma answered. Ryoga was going to reply, but a glare from Ryoma told him it was better to shut up. Nanako chuckled as she stuck a band-aid on Ryoga's right cheek.

Rinko sighed. It was too obvious that Ryoga didn't fall down from anywhere.

"Ryoga, I already told you not to do it again," Rinko said.

This happened every day. Ryoma was not a morning person and Ryoga enjoyed making fun of her, despite how many times Rinko told him to stop. In fact, Ryoga was the only one who can wake up Ryoma once she was asleep. The girl was as deaf as a rock when her eyes are closed. A brass band playing next to her won't wake her up. Ryoga was the only living being who can wake her. Though he always got beaten up by her later because he dared to disturb her sleep. Rinko sighed again.

_'Please kami-sama, help me!'_ she prayed.

* * *

(1) yabe: from "yabai", means "bad";

(2) ohayou: good morning.


	3. Meet Echizen Ryoma time two?

Echizen Nanjirou was a tennis professional who could have easily taken the Grand Slam, if he hadn't chosen his family over tennis. In fact, he stopped playing in the professional circuit the day Ryoma was born. He wanted to train his son to be his next opponent. However, Ryoma was a girl. After Ryoma's birth, Rinko couldn't bear another child. Thus, Nanjirou could not hope to have a son. Though he didn't show it, Ryoma knew that her father wished that she was a boy.

Because of that, she told her father that she wanted to play tennis and that she wanted him to train her, which Nanjirou did. She really hoped her father would still love her as a girl. She wanted to just show him that she could be a good tennis player even if she was a girl – or more, she would prove him that despite being a girl, she could be better than a boy.

As she played tennis every day with Nanjirou, she was really happy – until one day…

One day, her father brought a boy at home. His name was Ryoga. He was five years older than Ryoma. Ryoga would be her big brother. Ryoga was his best friend's son, who died in a car accident with his wife, leaving Ryoga an orphan. Nanjirou took him in. Ryoma couldn't blame her father for this nor could she blame Ryoga. It wasn't his fault after all. As for Nanjirou, he was happy. He finally had a son.

Nanjirou continued to train Ryoma in tennis, but he also trained Ryoga. And Ryoma could see that her father trained Ryoga far more seriously than he did her. After all, Ryoga was a boy, and he was the son Nanjirou always wished to have. And more than everything, she knew that Ryoga was a better tennis player than her - he was a quick learner, he was faster than her and had more physical aptitudes. It was easy to understand why Nanjirou favored Ryoga over her. That was where it hurt her the most.

Knowing her daughter was hurt by Nanjirou's actions, Rinko explained to Ryoma.

"Ryoma, it is true that being a girl, you cannot best Ryoga in terms of physical capabilities. But that doesn't mean that you cannot surpass him somewhere else. I encourage you to continue to play tennis, but you should also try to develop your others aptitudes," Rinko said. "Besides, if your father really doesn't love you, he would have returned back to the professional tennis circuit instead of continuing to play with you, right?"

Ryoma reluctantly nodded.

"Ryoma, maybe you cannot beat Ryoga with physical strength, but maybe you can win over him with your intelligence. After all, girls are much smarter than boys, right?" Rinko whispered secretly into Ryoma's ears, winking at her.

And as a matter of fact, Ryoma scored better at school than Ryoga. When the family traveled around the world – for vacations or because of Rinko's job, Ryoma would pick up the local language. At the age of 10, she spoke fluent Japanese, English, French and German.

One day, Nanjirou decided it was time for him to return back to Japan with the whole family. Ryoma decided to take the entrance exam of Seiyou Academy, the school for top elites of Tokyo, to complete her education. Because of her outstanding marks, she won the scholarship. All her tuition fees will be covered by the school, with the condition that she must keep to be the top of her class. She was happy to have won the scholarship as she didn't want to burden her parents.

She still continued to play tennis. She kept practicing hard every day. Even if she always lost to her father or to Ryoga, she never gave up. She would prove them that she could be a very good tennis player even if she's a girl. One day, she would beat the crap out of them. That was her ultimate goal! She chose Seiyou because the school was the first seed of Japan junior tennis players. Being at Seiyou will give her a great opportunity to improve her tennis (so that one day she will DEFINITELY beat her oyajii (1) and her aniki (2)!)

But, she didn't expect this to happen…

* * *

"Hihihihihihi!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"_**Wuahahahahahahahaha!**_" Ryoga and Nanjirou laughed madly, pointing their fingers right into Ryoma's pissed off face, her right eye twitching.

"You two… Shut. It. Up. _**Right now!**_" she roared.

But that didn't stop them.

"Yiiiiiiiiiii hahahahahahaha!"

_Click! Click! Click!_

Nanjirou took pictures of her at every single angle.

"Oyajii, stop it!"

"Why? It's too much fun! And bishoujo (3), you look absolutely cute like that! Don't you think too, Rinko?" Nanjirou asked his wife.

"Nanjirou, that's enough!" Rinko scolded him.

Ryoma was currently wearing the Seiyou Academy uniform. That's normal since she will attend Seiyou. The problem, it's a boy uniform. A grey pants and a deep blue jersey with the school emblem on the left breast, and a blue and golden striped necktie. The school no longer had a girl's uniform in her size. The only small size available was a boy uniform. They told her to wear it until they had a new one made for her. The person in charge of the academy uniform would be released from hospital in two weeks. Also, the particular fabric of Seiyou Academy's uniform was no longer available. They needed the person in charge's signature so they could order the fabric. Then again, Ryoma will have to wait for her girl uniform to be done too. In short, Ryoma had to wear the boy uniform for a period of a month at least.

"Whahahahahahaha! And with that wig, you look almost exactly like me, Chibisuke!" Ryoga laughed again.

Ryoma shoot him daggers glares. It was because of him and baka oyajii that she couldn't cut her own hair.

* * *

Flashback

"Ahhhhhhh!" Ryoma jumped three feet back when she saw herself in the mirror.

There was a gay guy just in front of her. And he looked soooooooo much like herself, only dressed in a boy uniform. His long hair just made him so gay. Ryoma sprinted away down stair at full speed.

Down stair, Nanjirou, Ryoga, Rinko and Nanako looked up to the ceiling, where running foot steps could be heard. It sounded as Ryoma just saw something terrible. They wondered what? From the staircase, they saw her running down, almost tripping over the steps.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Kaa-san!" Ryoma desperately called, trying to catch herself before really tripping down the stair.

"What is it, Ryoma?" Rinko calmly asked.

"Kaa-san, where are the scissors! Please, _CUT OFF MY HAIR!_" Ryoma howled on the top of her lunges from pure fright.

"Huh?" Rinko blinked, but Ryoga and Nanjirou interrupted her.

"**_WHAAAAAAAAAAT?_**" Nanjirou and Ryoga yelled, jumping on their feet.

In less than 0.1 second, they were in front of her in their giant form with fire burning around their bodies and in their eyes. Their hell form made Ryoma becoming tiny, forgetting momentary her fright. Nanjirou and Ryoga were more frightful than the gay guy she saw in the mirror.

"_YOU_ do _NOOOOOOT _cut off your hair! You perfectly hear me!" Ryoga said.

"Heh? What! Why?" Ryoma stuttered. "It's my hair. I can cut them when I want!"

"Ryoma," Nanjirou trailed in a serious tone, his head bend down.

Ryoma gulped. Nanjirou was using her first name. Something bad was coming.

"Ryoma," Nanjirou said again, "if you cut your hair, I will make sure that you will never be able to play in any tennis tournaments and competitions again in the future and for your next 100 lives circle."

Ryoma turned white and yelled an unvoiced scream.

"So, Chibisuke, do you still want to cut off your hair?" Ryoga slowly asked.

Ryoma couldn't answer because she was still in shock at the perspective that she could no longer play tennis. And her spirit form, which was floating above her head couldn't answer either. The spirit itself was also in a huge shock.

"Ryoma?" Rinko tried to call. But still no answer from the poor girl.

Rinko sighed, then eyed Nanjirou.

"Nanjirou, Ryoga, how could you say such a thing to her?" Rinko was saying, mad.

"Hum…" Nanjirou and Ryoga only grunted, but still refusing to change their mind.

End flashback

* * *

And that was how Ryoma got herself with a wig. She really feared that Nanjirou would put his threat into execution. She knew that even if he was retired, Nanjirou still possessed a great influence over the International Tennis Association and the press and medias. And if her baka aniki also joined in with the baka oyajii, Ryoma was really doomed.

"Wuahahaha!" Ryoga and Nanjirou continued to laugh, and louder.

Ryoma wished her eyes could shoot laser and kill him and baka oyajii on the spot.

"I must agree with ojii-san (4), Ryoma-chan (5)! You do really look absolutely cute like this! I bet that all the girls in the school will also think the same thing as me!" she said, giggling.

_'No thank you!' _Ryoma thought.

_Click! Click! Click! _Nanjirou continued to click on the digital camera.

"Hey! Maybe you can bring home a future sister-in-law for me, Ryoma**-**_**kun **_(6)!" Ryoga teased her.

A vein popped on Ryoma's head.

"That's right! A cute one with a sexy bod-…! (_Whack!_) Outch! Hey! What was that for, Rinko?" Nanjirou yelped, rubbing his sore spot, where his wife whacked him.

"Keep your mouth shut. There are young children here!" she scowled him.

"Wuhahahaha!" Ryoga brailed louder.

"Aniki… Do you want to die again?" Ryoma said, her fist slowly up, ready to strike.

Ryoga immediately shut up. Alas, Ryoma didn't forgive him. She only asked by pure courtesy – because her mother had always taught her so. But Rinko never said that she had to wait for the other's answer or applying to their desires. Thus, she chased after Ryoga.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoga yelled, running away for his life while Ryoma was right behind him.

_'Maybe I __**should**__ have told her to wait for the person's answer before doing anything,'_Rinko thought, sighing.

* * *

(1) oyajii: old man;

(2) aniki: informal way to call big brother;

(3) bishoujo: pretty girl;

(4) ojii-san: uncle;

(5) -chan: suffix usually used for girl, but not exclusively;

(6) -kun: suffix usually used for boy, but not exclusively.


	4. Tennis prodigy discovered

Seiyou Academy. Class 1-A.

"Okay everyone, today we have a new student," the homeroom teacher said. "Please come in, Echizen-kun."

Stepped in the class a short freshman dressed in the Seiyou Academy boy uniform. He had black hair with emerald hints, brown, almost golden, orbs with delicate features. Ryoma walked in front of the class.

"This is Echizen Ryoma, who just came from America. Echizen, introduce yourself to the class."

"Echizen Ryoma. Yoroshiku (1)," Ryoma said.

The teacher sweat dropped.

'_Well, isn't he antisocial,'_ he thought.

"Echizen, why don't you tell more about yo-…"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! So _cuuuuuuuuuuuuute_!" The girls of the class sqealed, surprising the boys in class. Even the teacher and Ryoma got caught by surprise.

"Ne, ne! Do you have a girlfriend?" a girl asked.

"Ah?"

"Can I be your girlfriend?" another one added.

"What?" Ryoma wondered.

"You guys, don't scare him like that!" a boy said.

"Yeah, he just arrives and you already hit on him," another boy said.

"Though I'm jealous of the attention you already got from the girls, Echizen-kun, I don't want to be in your place!" another one added. "Hahahahahahaha!" He laughed and his friends with him. Ryoma didn't say anything.

_'That's right. I'm wearing a boy uniform, so they mistook me for a boy!'_ she reasoned, sighing.

"Okay, silence now!" the teacher commended. "Echizen-kun, take a seat so we can start."

* * *

Lunch break, Ryoma walked around and found the tennis club. Seiyou Academy tennis facilities weren't bad. Spacious ground, many courts, nice equipments.

_'Not bad,'_ Ryoma thought. _'Not bad at all…'_

Suddenly, someone bumped into her.

_Crash!_

"Humph! Outch! Itai (2)!" She felt on her behind. It was the second time of the day that she felt down - in the morning because of her brother rudeness, and now this. She wasn't very happy about it.

"Hey! Look where you're walking!" she yelled to whoever it was.

Instead of receiving an answer, a tall brunette with cerulean eyes looked down at her angrily. Ryoma stood up and stared right into his eyes.

Fuji Syuusuke, the top student of Seiyou Academy, was respected and feared by all students and teachers. No one have the right to say something against him. Yet, this boy dared to stand against him _**AND**_ looked into his opened eyes. And he wasn't even flinching. The two of them started a glaring battle of domination. No one back down to no one.

"Hey you!" a girl snapped at RYoma. "Who are you, to be so impolite to Fuji-sama!"

"You're a first year right? Be more respectful to your senpai and say sorry for bumping into him!" another girl yelled at her.

"Huh? What? _**HE **_was the one who bumped into me! He should be the one apologizing!" Ryoma replied back.

"It was you who wasn't paying attention! Say you're sorry now!" another one yelled.

"Hmph! There is no way I'm going to say sorry for a mistake I didn't make!"

With that, Ryoma walked away.

"Are you alright, Fuji-sama?" a third one said, her voice dripping honey.

Fuji Syuusuke didn't answer. He kept silence for a moment.

"Fujiko, that's not usual for you to be like that to someone," his best friend, Kikumaru Eiji, said. "You were the one who bumped into him."

Fuji kept silence as he looked at the boy who just left.

_'There's something about him…'_ Fuji was perplexed. When he bumped into that boy, he felt a… _lump_ on the boy's chest. _'Bah! Not important!'_ And he walked away.

* * *

End of the day.

Ryoma walked again in the direction of the tennis court. Second and third year were practicing while first year students were picking balls.

_'Now, where to register?'_ She looked around to find the teacher in charge of the tennis club.

From afar, a girl was pointing at Ryoma. She was the same one who snapped at her during lunch time.

"That's him, the boy who bumped into Fuji-sama and walked away without saying sorry," the girl, Mayuri, told Arai, a member of the boys' tennis club.

"What? He bumped into Fuji-sama and didn't say sorry?" Arai asked incredulously.

"How dare he?" Arai's companion, Genjou, was shocked.

"He's only a first year, right?"

"Whatever, just make him pay for that!" Mayuri said.

"Alright, got it!" Arai said as he grabbed a ball. He threw it and aimed at Ryoma's head.

"Ah! Hey! Look out!" someone yelled to Ryoma.

Alerted, Ryoma picked a random racket on the ground and caught the ball launched to her in a swift twist of her wrist.

Everyone one the court were impressed. They all stopped what they were doing to watch. Arai was among the best members of the tennis club and his serves were feared by almost all the members of the club. If there was an additional position for a regular in Seiyou tennis club, Arai would probably fill it. Yet, this unknown first year boy just simply caught his Bullet Serve like he was scooping soup with a spoon.

* * *

A boy with square glasses, Inui Sadaharu, who was observing while taking notes in his notebook, immediately turned his attention to Ryoma.

_'That first year…'_

"You saw it too, right Renji?" Inui asked his companion.

"Yes," Yanagi Renji nodded. "That freshman is skilled, very skilled."

"He already mastered the revolution spin ball. And he's only a first year," Inui said as he noted something down in his notebook.

* * *

"Huh? Who's ball is this?" Ryoma asked as she rolled the ball on the racket. She spotted Arai. "Oi! It was from you right? Are you from the tennis club? You must be really bad in tennis, for aiming a ball like that!"

"What? How dare you? You should be more respectful to your senpai (3)!" Arai said while stomping into Ryoma's direction, grabbing her by her collar.

"It's not because you were born a year earlier that you can act like that to a kouhai (4)," Ryoma replied. "Beside, you don't seem to be so good. You can't even correctly aim a ball inside the court. Mada mada dane!"

"Yaro (5)… Let see who's really good in tennis here. It's a challenge. I'm going to crush you right now!"

"Arai, stop. He's only a first year!" a guy named Yamimoto told him.

"Yeah… That's right… I'll let it go…" Arai slyly said. "If you play against me, you can get seriously hurt. You could scratch yourself, _pretty boy_." They laughed at her.

Ryoma eyed him menacingly.

_'He shouldn't have call me that!'_

"Alright. Let's do it!" Ryoma replied.

She wasn't stupid. She knew very well that the ball he hit was aiming at her head. If she got hit, she could seriously be injured. She wasn't going to let him get away like that. With the permission of the owner of the racket she picked up, she stepped in the court.

"Hey, shouldn't you change into more comfortable clothes?" a first year boy asked her. Ryoma looked down at her uniform.

"It's alright," Ryoma answered.

* * *

In the court.

Ryoma face Arai from the receiver position.

_'That boy! How dare he insult me like that! I'm going to make him pay for it!' _Arai thougt.

Arai served. This time, his ball was stronger and faster. Ryoma could see that.

_'His service may be good, but it still weak and slow compared to oyajii's and aniki's.'_

Ryoma caught the ball and returned it.

"What? Who's that boy?"

"To be able to return Arai's serve so easily like that…"

"Sugoi (6)…"

The crowed was getting excited over the rally between them. They completely forgot about their practice to watch. After a short moment, Ryoma was bored even though her opponent played aggressively against her.

_'So weak. I'm bored,'_ she thought.

On the other hand, Arai was feeling pressure. That first year was good, very good.

_'Damn it! I'm not going to let him win like that.'_

Arai looked at Ryoma, examining her.

_'There's still something I can do.'_

Arai served far behind. As Ryoma stepped back to catch the ball, Arai ran to the net and smashed. He scored.

"Hehehe!" he grinned sheepishly.

Ryoma look at the ball, then at him, not impressed at all. Arai served again, planning to repeat the same thing. This time, Ryoma lobbed high behind him, right on the line behind him.

"Out!" Arai said as he erased to spot where the ball it with his foot. "Too bad, pretty boy." It was a self-judgment.

_'Sore loser!' _Ryoma thought, pissed off.

Ryome served and ran. Arai returned the ball. Ryoma used her Split Step and caught the ball. She lobbed it hight above the sky.

"Too bad, it's going to be out again, pretty boy," Arai brawled, laughing at the same time.

But to everyone surprise, the ball Ryoma hit didn't bounce. Instead, it landed just inside the court, spinned on itself before stopping. Everyone could clearly see that the ball was in.

"Ne, it's in, right?" Ryoma smirked.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Enraged, Arai threw his racket on Ryoma's head.

"Ah! Abunai (7)!" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Ah!" Ryoma clutched at her head, a blood trailed down her face. The spectators were worried for her.

_'Yaro… I'm going to make you pay!' _Ryoma swored.

Grabbing firmly her racket in her right hand, she served. The ball landed right in front of Arai, spinned before bouncing toward the right side of his face, hitting him.

"15-love," Ryoma self-called.

* * *

From outside the court.

"Renji," Inui said.

"Twist Serve_…_" Inui's companion mumbled. "And a perfect one."

* * *

Ryoma served again, and hit.

"30-love."

"Hey… Is that the Twist Serve?" someone commented.

"Ehhhh!" They looked more closely.

Ryoma hit.

"You're right! Is the Twist Serve! And a very acurate one! He's only a freshman and can already do such a serve. Who is he?"

The ball hit Arai in the stomach.

"40-love." Serve, hit.

"1-love."

It was cleared. The matched outcome was already decided. The rally continued on: serve, hit, run, return, slide, hit, jump, serve_…  
_

Arai's ball crossed the net. Ryoma ran and _Smash!_ It was her win. Arai became enraged. He stomped to Ryoma and grabbed her by her collar.

"You…" he snarled.

"What's happening in the court?" an authoritative voice asked.

"Buchou (8)! Cheers!" The people on the court greeted a tall boy with chestnut hair and oval spectacles, bowing deeply in respect.

_'Buchou? So this is the captain…'_ Ryoma looked at him. Even his posture commanded respect.

"Both of you, 10 laps for disturbing practices."

"Wait! It's…" Arai tried to explain.

"20 laps!"

Ryoma already started her laps. Somehow, something about this captain made it impossible for her to disobey him.

* * *

(1) yoroshiku: litteraly "Please take care of me from now on", a polite formule to say when you meet someone for the first time.

(2) itai: it hurts;

(3) senpai: upperclassman;

(4) kouhai: underclassman;

(5) yaro: bastard;

(6) sugoi: incredible;

(7)abunai: watch out, be careful, it's dangerous;

(8) buchou: captain.


	5. Ryoga's worry

"Tadaima (1)," Ryoma called as she entered her house.

"Okaeri (2), Ryoma," her mother greeted her. Nanjirou grunted and returned to his magazine.

"Kaeri, Chibisuke!"

"Okaeri, Ryoma-chan," Nanako greeted.

Ryoma went up in her bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. After that, she joined her family down in the family room.

"How was your first day at school?" Rinko asked her.

"Weird," Ryoma said as she sat next to Ryoga. "Right in the morning, there was a parade of Benz and Rolls Royce cars in the front of the school. In my class, people are crazy. And the girls are scary - they asked me if they could be my girlfriend."

"Pffffffffffff! Cough cough cough cough cough!" Ryoga choked in his tea and coughed.

"Ryoga, you shouldn't laugh while drinking," Rinko said as she hit his back to help him.

Nanjirou looked up at Ryoma from his newspaper, blinking, surprised. Nanako giggled.

"I told you so, Ryoma-chan," Nanako said.

"Yeah. But it was still scary."

Karupin climbed in her laps and Ryoma stroked his fur. Ryoma continued to relate her day. She talked about her classes, her teachers and all the promotions to join different clubs. She talked to them about the tennis club, describing the facilities, the court - everything.

"And I almost got hit on the head by a tennis ball."

Ryoga froze, worried.

"How come? What happened?" Rinko asked.

"Well, a guy try to aim the ball at me, but I stopped it," Ryoma explained hastily when she saw her mother's worried expression. "It's really nothing, kaa-san (3). Don't worry. I taught the culprit a good lesson."

Rinko didn't say anything. She wasn't she can trust Ryoma's words.

"Meooooooooow!" Karupin meowed.

"That's right, Karupin! He was a stupid guy for trying to attack me!"

* * *

Evening.

Ryoma and Nanjiro were having a match in the tennis court in their backyard. Ryoga was watching them in silence. He remembered what Ryoma told about her first day at school.

When he learnt that she won the scholarship for Seiyou Academy, he was happy for her. But he was also worried. Seiyou Academy was a school institution for elite people, not for normal people. Students there were sons and daughters of ministers, association and corporation presidents, wealthy businessmen, reputed doctors and lawyers and so on. The students there were all born with silver spoons in their mouths and were all pampered immensely. They were used to have everything they wanted without any difficulty. They didn't have to work hard for it. Because of that, sometimes they can act terribly if there was something displeased them. For example, if they didn't like a person, they could easily dispose of said person. Before he was an Echizen, Ryoga knew that kind of world.

Ryoma came from a normal world. Ryoga feared that they would bullied her or harm her in some way. Rich kids don't easily accepted strangers in their realm of fortune, fame and power. Ryoma might be…

"You're worrying too far, Ryoga," Rinko shattering his reverie.

"Kaa-san."

Rinko sat next to Ryoga, looking at her daughter chase after the yellow ball.

"I am a bit worried too, but I believe Ryoma will pull it through. She's a very capable girl."

"I know, but…"

"Wait and see what happens next before doing anything," Rinko said told him

Ryoga sighed.

"Hai, kaa-san…"

A ball flew to him and he caught it with his left hand.

"Hey! What was that for, Chibisuke?! I almost got hit on the head!" Ryoga yelled.

"Well, it didn't, right?" Ryoma retorted, her hands on her hips, "Or don't tell me that you became weaker since we return to Japan," she taunted.

"What did you say…?" Ryoga growled.

"Then play with me! Now! It's a challenge!"

"You're going to regret it!"

Ryoga took Nanjirou's place on the court.

Ryoma smirked.

_'That girl… Cocky as ever! Even now, she still challenges me!' _Ryoga thought, smiling.

"If I win, you bring me to Tokyo Disneyland this Sunday and treat me everything I want!" Ryoma called.

"And what if I win?"

"You still bring me to Tokyo Disneyland this Sunday and treat me everything I want!"

Ryoga's smile was wiped clean off his face. Rinko and Nanako giggled while Nanjirou smirked.

_'Spoiled brat!' _Ryoga thought.

"Hey! What kind of weird prize is that? If I'm the winner, I decide what I want, not you!" Ryoga protested.

"No you won't, because _**I**_ will win!"

"We'll see about that!" Ryoga answered heatly. He fired up.

Ryoma glared him. She fired up too.

"Whenever you're ready, aniki!"

"Ryoga against Ryoma. One set match. Service, Ryoga," Nanjirou called.

"Twist Serve!" Ryoga said as he served.

* * *

(1) tadaima: I'm back;

(2) okaeri : welcome back;

(3) kaa-san or okaa-san: mother.


	6. Tranferring class and meeting 3A

A/N: Please take note.

In this fanfiction, Ootori Choutarou is not a shy guy like in the anime. He is much cooler and more fun. Instead of having curly hair and round eye, his hair are spicky and his eyes are sharp.

* * *

The next day. Seiyou Academy. Fifth floor. Class 3-A.

_Tap tap tap tap tap! _

Door slide.

Kikumaru bounded into the classroom, barely containing his excitement.

"Ne, Fuji! Have you heard the news?" he burst out.

"Kikumaru, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your class by now?" Niou Masaharu asked.

"Who cares? I'm just curious about that new classmate of yours!" Kikumaru said.

"Hmm?" Fuji frowned. "New classmate?"

"Hm… A new classmate?" Ootori Choutarou said.

"What are you talking about, Kikumaru?" Marui Bunta asked, blowing his green apple bubble gum.

"We will have a transferred student in our English class, a freshman," Yagyuu Hiroshi explained.

"A freshman taking a third year class? And with us?" Oshitari Yuushi asked.

"Hmn hmn!" Kikumaru energetically nodded. "I was passing by the teachers' lounge when I overheard them talking."

"His name is Echizen Ryoma," Atobe Keigo said. "No fortune nor family fame. He is really nothing. Ne, Kabaji?"

"Usu!" Kabaji Munehiro answered.

"If I remember correctly, he is the winner of this year scholarship," Tezuka Kunimitsu said.

"But that's impressive," Yukimura Seichii said. "Not only did he win the scholarship when he's just a commoner, but he got transferred into one of our classes too. Don't you think so too, Sanada?"

Sanada Genichirou only grunted. Yukimura chuckled. The English teacher entered the class.

"Alright everyone. Take your seat," the teacher said. "Let me introduce you a new student. Echizen-kun, come in!" Ryoma stepped in the front of the class. "This is Echizen Ryoma, the winner of this year's Seiyou Academy scholarship. He's a freshman, but he will take English with us from now on," he introduced her. "Echizen, say something to the class."

"Echizen Ryoma. Yoroshiku." Ryoma mecanically stated. The teacher sweat dropped.

_'Just as his homeroom told me. Not a very socialiable one,'_ he thought.

"Ah! You're the kid from yesterday!" Kikumaru exclaimed, pointing at Ryoma. Ryoma turned her head to see the red head boy. She arched an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" she asked. Kikumaru felt anime-mode on Fuji's desk.

_'That boy…'_

Yukimura chuckled.

"Ochibi-chan, you don't remember me? Fujiko and I met you yesterday," Kikumaru said.

"Huh?"

"Here, this is Fuji. Don't tell me you don't remember him too?" Kikumaru asked her. Ryoma eyed Fuji, her head tilted.

"Who's this guy?" Ryoma asked. Fuji opened his eyes.

_'He really don't remember me…' _That was strange. How can someone not remember him, especially after bumping into the tensai (1) of the academy. _'He's__… unusual__…__'_

"And who is Ochibi-chan?" Ryoma added. Kikumaru grinned. He really liked this boy. He found a new friend, with or without the other part's agreement.

"Hehehe! Ochibi-chan, I really like you!" he cheered and proceed to glomp Ryoma in a suffocating grip.

"Argh! Hmp-…! Let-…! Hmp-…! Me! Hmph-…! Go-! Hmph! Bre-…! Brea-…!" Ryoma desperately need to breath. She gathered all her strength and yelled.

"_**I NEED TO BREATH!**_"

"Oh? Aaaahhhhh! Sorry Chibi-chan!" Kikumaru finally let her go, seeing her blue face.

Fuji was surprised by Kikumaru's sudden liking the freshman. Sure, he knew that the cat boy was friendly to everyone, but this time was different. He didn't meet with that Echizen boy more than five minutes, counting yesterday too, but the boy was already being given a nickname. And he got Kikumaru to glomp him too, which was very very rare.

"Kikumaru, shouldn't you be in your class by now? You can talk with Echizen during break time," the teacher said.

"Hai," Kikumaru said in a bored tone. "So see you later, Ochibi-chan!" A last glomp before he left.

"Oupffffff!"

_'Sugar high freak!' _Ryoma thought.

Atobe eyed her up and down.

"Hmph! Ore-sama (2) thought you were something special, for being able to join our English class," Atobe said. "But Ore-sama can see that you're really nothing more but a simple commoner."

"And you, saru no taishou (3), you're a freaking spoiled brat!" Ryoma retorted.

Marui, Niou and Ootori snickered. Yukimura chuckled. Tezuka remained impassive. Yagyuu, Oshitari and Sanada got caught off. No one had ever dared to say those kind of words to Atobe Keigo, the 'King' of Seiyou. Yet, this boy from nowhere wasn't even scared to say what he wanted to say. More than that, his face wore a bored expression.

"Saru no taishou? What kind of inelegant naming is that? Take it back, brat! No one ever call Ore-sama such a dreadful name!"

"Yadda!" Ryoma crossed her arms and looked away.

"Argh! What makes you think that you can be admitted in this class? Your English must not be as good as the teachers think it is. Maybe you cheat in the examinations!" Atobe said with sudden inspiration. "Speak in English so Ore-sama can judge you by himself," he said in English.

"Monkey King!" Ryoma responded, in English.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Marui, Niou and Ootori laughed. Yukimura chuckled. Tezuka still remained impassive. Sanada, Yagyuu and Oshitari sweat dropped. It was not everyday that you met someone who dared to stand against Atobe Keigo and not even flinch.

"Atobe, that's enough! Let him be. It's just his first day here with you guys. Besides, I advise you to have him to tutor you. His accent is perfect while yours is still a little tainted with Japanese. You can also have him to tutor you for French! Your French accent is horrible!" the teacher said. Atobe flinched.

"Wuahahahahahahaha!" Niou, Marui and Ootori laughed louder. It was too comical. Ryoma pulled her tongue to Atobe.

"And Echizen-kun, please refrain yourself to behave in such a childish way. You may be only a freshman, but I expect you to behave like a student of this class should behave."

"Hai."

"Now, take a seat so I can start today lesson. Sit next to Yukimura. Yukimura, raise your hand."

A boy with wavy blue hair rose his hand.

"Here, sit down, Echizen-kun," Yukimura said in a gentle voice, showing her the seat next to him.

"Arigatou, senpai."

"Dou itashimashite (4)."

_'He's nice,' _Ryoma thought. _'But…' _Ryoma looked at his delicate features, his fair skin, his long eyes lash. And there was also his soft voice.

"Hmm… Senpai…" Ryoma frowned as she examined more closely Yukimura. "…Are you… a girl?"

The teacher, Atobe, Sanada, Yagyuu, Oshitari fell anime-style, sweat dropping.

_'That boy…' _They don't know what to think about him. Even Fuji couldn't suppress a slight movement of surprise. Yukimura's eyes widened.

"Pfffffffff! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Marui, Niou and Ootori brawled. It was the first time they had met this boy, but they already liked him. Once he had recovered from his surprise, Yukimura smiled.

"What makes you think that I'm a girl?" he asked.

"Well, you look like a pretty girl, like the angel in my mother's favorite painting," Ryoma explained. " But you're wearing boy clothes… Ah! I know! You're a cross-dresser!"

"WHUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Marui, Niou and Ootori made it worse. Yukimura gracefully chuckled behind his hand.

"Huhuhuhu! Thank you for the compliment. You are very nice looking too. But I assure you that I'm a real boy and not a cross-dresser," he said, laughing in an elegant way behind his hand.

"Ah…"

_'But it's still hard to believe,'_ Ryoma thought. Her thoughts were written clearly on her face. Everyone could read it.

"Yiiiiii hihihihihi! Hahahahahaha!" Marui, who was sat behind her, shuffled her hair. "I think that I really like you, Chibi-chan!"

Ryoma glared him. Who gave him the right to call her by that name?

"Okay, that's enough. Now open your book to the page 376 please," the teacher said.

"Hai," the class answered.

"Echizen, since you still don't have our textbook, read with Yukimura."

"Hai."

* * *

While Yukimura and Tezuka helped Ryoma to find her textbooks and showed her around the school, the rest of the 3-A where having their lunch in the green house. They green house was the usual place where they had lunch with their friends or spent their free time. Marui, Niou and Ootori told the others what had happened in their English class.

"Yihihihihihihihihi!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Kikumaru and Kirihara laughed on the top of their lunges, so hard that they were crying. Atobe groaned. Sanada, Yagyuu, Oshitari, Yanagi and Inui were impassive.

"He took Yukimura for a girl?" Shishido asked, eyes wide in surprise.

"Uso (5)!" Gakuto said, shocked.

"Yes! He did! Hahahahahahaha!" Niou laughed.

"Hahahahaha! Hey! I want to meet that boy!" Kirihara said.

"You will meet him soon," Marui said.

"Yukimura is supposed to bring him here after he and Tezuka finish showing him around," Ootori said.

"By the way, Yanagi, Inui, where were you?" Atobe asked. "You missed the whole English class today."

"We had a meeting with Sakaki-sensei and Ryuzaki-sensei, for the next tournament," Inui said.

"Yesterday, we saw a freshman playing against Arai. And he won," Yanagi said.

"A freshman?" Niou said.

"He is not a normal freshman. He is skilled, very skilled," Inui said.

"And he won against Arai?" Marui added.

"He can be good support for the team then," Ootori said.

"But since he's a freshman, it's not possible," Yagyuu said.

"Freshmen cannot participate in the ranking tournament until summer," Oshitari said.

"And you must be selected in the ranking tournament so you can be a regular," Sanada added.

"That's why we had a discussion with Sakaki-sensei and Ryuzaki-sensei," Inui said.

"A talented kid like him cannot be ignored," Yanagi said. "Sakaki-sensei was reluctant at first, but he agreed to let this freshman played in the next ranking tournament. He said he will judge the freshman's skill by himself."

"Now, we have to find out who is that freshman," Inui said.

"What? You mean that you don't even know his name?" Oshitari asked.

"Yesterday, we didn't have time to ask him as he had already left the court," Yanagi said.

"Physically, he's short. Black hair with emerald hints. But it's his eyes which will make it easier for us to find him. His eyes are an unusual color. They are almost golden," Inui said.

"Golden!" Marui and Niou exclaimed, not believing what they heard.

"Masaka (6)…" Ootori trailed.

"That description perfectly matches with Echizen's," Yagyuu said.

"Echizen? You mean the new student in our English class?" Yanagi said.

"Yes," Marui and Niou nodded.

"Could it be him?" Inui asked to Yanagi.

"You will have your answer now. Here he is coming with Yukimura and Tezuka," Oshitari said, pointing to the door of the green house.

* * *

They could see Tezuka, Yukimura and Echizen coming. Ryoma was trying to escape from Yukimura firm grip on her arm. Despite Yukimura's fragile appearance, he sure had solid muscles. The picture he and Ryoma formed was like a mother pulling her stubborn child into the dentist office. Tezuka stood for the impassive father figure, who won't interfer bewteen the mother and the child. He knew very well there was no point stopping Yukimura once Yukimura had decide something.

"Can't you just leave me alone, senpai?" Ryoma struggled to get free. "I have only one class with you. Why should I also eat with you?"

"Maa maa, Echizen-kun. Since you just transferred, you probably still don't have friends around. I'm just helping you making some. Besides, I promised them to bring you back after showing you around," Yukimura calmly said, smiling.

"You might have promised something, but I didn't promise anything! Now, let me go, senpai!" Ryoma said. Yukimura chuckled.

"Now now Echizen-kun, stop resisting. We are already here."

"Huh? What?" In fact, they were standing in front of the green house door. Tezuka already went inside. "Ahhhhhhh!" Yukimura pushed her through the door before stepped in and closed it, blocking the unique escape way. "Senpai, step aside!" Ryoma ordered. Yukimura only chuckled and took her arm again.

"Here. Come with me," Yukimura said as he guide her inside the green house to where the others were sitting.

"Ah! It's him!" Yanagi and Inui pointed to Ryoma. She turned her head to them.

"Huh? What about me?" Ryoma asked.

"Yanagi, you mean he's the freshman you were talking about?" Yagyuu asked. Yanagi nodded.

"Ehhh… So you're that famous rumored freshman?" Marui said.

"What? What are you talking about, senpai?"

Kirihara rudely pushed Marui aside and stepped in front of Ryoma. He grabbed her hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"You're Echizen Ryoma, right? Kirihara Akaya. 2nd year. Yoroshiku!" Kirihara said.

"Errr… Yoroshiku…"

"Hey! Are you really good in tennis as Inui and Yanagi said? Let's have a match!"

Up to now, the title of the youngest genius in tennis belonged to Kirihara. He wasn't going to let it to anyone without saying a word.

"Huh? What?" Ryoma frowned. She was dumbfounded.

"Come on, let's have a match now!" And Kirihara pulled her with him to the tennis court.

"Hey you! Wait! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" But Kirihara kept running and pulling her with him. "Let me goooooooooooo! "

_'What's wrong with these people? Or they fed on sugar daily?'_

* * *

"Tadaima…" Ryoma trailed as she entered her house.

"Okaeri, Ryoma," her mother greeted her. Nanjirou grunted.

"Kaeri, Chibisuke!"

"Okaeri, Ryoma-chan. How was it at school today?" Nanako asked her.

"Weird," Ryoma said and she collapsed on the table, next to Ryoga.

"Hmn? What happened?" Ryoga asked.

"Like yesterday, there was still a parade of Benz and Rolls Royce cars in the front of the school. Then, I got transferred in a third year English class and I met a bunch of strange people. It was like they were fed on sugar on daily base. They wouldn't leave me alone for one second, even during the break time. A sugar freak with pink hair by the name of Marui Bunta kept shuffling my hair. A human-cat senpai, Kikumaru Eiji, kept glomping me. And a strange spider hair boy, Kirihara Akaya, had me played a game with him. And for a reason I don't understand, I already got registered into the tennis club before I realized what happened. Ahhhhh…" A black cloud floated on her head.

"A sugar freak, a human-cat and a spider head boy?" Nanako repeated.

"Yeah! All strange people!" Ryoma said. "Ah! That's right, kaa-san! There was also a senpai who look like the angel in your favorite painting. He is a very pretty girl and his name is Yukimura Seiichi," Ryoma added.

"_**He**_ is a _**pretty girl**_?" Rinko repeated, blinking, dumbfounded. She wasn't sure she heard the right thing.

"Oi, bishoujo! A _he_ cannot be a _pretty girl_," Nanjirou said, not understanding what Ryoma said. "Are you sure that that spider hair boy didn't smack your head with the ball and made you end up mixing up his gender?"

"But he's really a pretty girl!" Ryoma insisted. And Nanjirou and she start a quarrel over the pretty-girl boy. Ryoga hadn't said anything yet.

"You can see now, Ryoga," Rinko said. "She will be alright."

Ryoga looked at her. Ryoma and Nanjirou was engaged in a heat battle over the pretty-girl boy story. Ryoga smiled. His mother was right. Ryoma don't easily remember people's names the first time she met them. And sometime she will never remember. But just after the first day meeting those senpais, she already had their names in her head. Which meant, they must not be bad people as he thought they would be.

_'It looks like she met good people,' _Ryoga thought. _'I'm relieved now.'_

"Hai, kaa-san," Ryoga said, smiling. Rinko smiled too. They looked over at Ryoma. Ryoma was still arguing with Nanjirou. Ryoga ruffled her hair.

"Maa maa, Chibisuke! If your senpais didn't leave your side one moment that means that you're well accepted. You should be happy. Though it's incredible, for an antisocial like you! Hehehe!" Ryoga grinned stupidly.

"Argh! Stop it, aniki!"

But Ryoga kept teasing her.

* * *

That night, alone in his room, Ryoga looked up at the sky.

_'Thank you, kami-sama, for looking over her.'_

* * *

(1) tensai: genius;

(2) saru no taishou: "saru" is monkey, "taishou" is chief, so it becomes the king of the monkeys;

(3) ore-sama: "Ore" is "me", for boy only. The suffix "-sama" is used for highly regarded people. "Ore-sama" would be "the great me".

(4) dou itashimashite: you're welcome;

(5) uso: it can't be true, it's a lie;

(6) masaka: don't tell me…


	7. Meet Seiyou tennis club regulars

It was the first day of the school ranking tennis tournament. All the players were physically and emotionally ready. No, more than that – they were all fired up, after that they saw the games of a certain first year. Ryoma had just finished her first set. Now, she was taking a short break. She looked at the game chart. The number of members tennis club had was impressive.

"So many people… How do you select your players?" Ryoma asked.

"The ranking tournament lasts a week. There are three selections. You must pass all the three selections before you can win a regular spot. They are twenty four regular spots," Niou explained.

"Twenty four regular spots? Then it must be easy," Ryoma said.

Yagyuu shook his head.

"Not necessarily. We have three regular teams, Seigaku, Rikkaidai and Hyotei. Each team has eight regular places. Seigaku has Tezuka as buchou. Rikkaidai, Yukimura. And Hyotei, Atobe," Yagyuu said.

"What? Monkey King has a monkey tribe?" Ryoma said. Oshitari, Ootori, Shishido and Gakuto grunted. Kikumaru, Kirihara, Marui and Niou snickered.

"We are not monkeys!" Ootori, Shishido and Gakuto yelled.

"Oh! Do you mean that you're Monkey King's tribe?" Ryoma said. Kikumaru, Kirihara, Marui and Niou snickered again. Yagyuu sighed.

"Echizen-kun, have a little bit more respect for your senpais," Yagyuu said.

"Hai," Ryoma trailed obediently. "So, you're in Hyotei team," Ryoma corrected herself.

"Yes," Oshitari, Gakuto, Ootori and Shishido answered, nodding.

"Echizen, even if it's hard to believe it, Atobe is actually a very good captain," Oshitari said. "But I admit that sometime, he can be embarrassing to look at," he finished, rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah. He always wears flashy clothes when he's not wearing the school uniform," Gakuto said.

"And he behaves flashy too," Shishido added. Ootori nodded.

"How about you?" Ryoma asked to Kirihara, Marui and Niou.

"We are in the Rikkaidai team," Marui winked.

"Sanada, Yagyuu and Yanagi too," Niou added.

"And who's in Seigaku?" Ryoma asked.

"Fuji Syuusuke, Inui Sadaharu, Ooishi Shuichiro, Kawamura Takashi, Momoshiro Takeshi, Kaido Kaoru and me, Kikumaru Eiji," Kikumaru said. "Look over there, Ochibi-chan." Kikumaru pointed in the court. "You see the boy with the green bandanna?" Ryoma nodded. "That's Kaido. He is a specialist of Buggy Shot. We call it 'snake'. Be careful of his Boomerang Snake."

"Boomerang Snake?" Ryoma repeated.

"It's a refined technique based on the Buggy Whip Shot, but the ball goes around the net before landing in the opponent's court," Yagyuu explained.

"Hee… Impressive," Ryoma said.

"You see the broom-head boy who's arguing with Kaido? That's Momoshiro," Kirihara said.

"He's a power player. He got me with his Super Dunk," Gakuto said. "He can delay the timing of his ball's bouncing."

"Hmm…"

Ryoma looked at the two players named Momoshiro and Kaido. They were forehead against forehead, growling like dogs.

"What did you said, Mamushi (1)?" Momoshiro yelled.

"You're a baka (2), Momoshiri (2)!" Kaido replied.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Are those two always arguing like that?" Ryoma asked.

"Sadly, yes," Kikumaru said. "They will stop only when Tezuka assigns them laps or when Inui threatens them with his Inui juice. By the way, Ochibi-chan, you don't want to know about his Inui juice," Kikumaru added.

"You don't want to taste it either," Shishido said.

"You see the tall boy, who swinging his racket over his head, and the egg-head boy who is trying to stop Momoshiro and Kaido?" Kikumaru continued. Ryoma nodded. "That's Kawamura and Ooishi. Ooishi is my double partner. We are the Golden pair of Seigaku."

"Golden pair?"

"They are last year's National double players. They can synchro," Niou said.

"Synchro!" Ryoma exclaimed. "Sugoi!"

"Desu yo nee (3)!" Kikumaru beamed proudly.

"But that Kawamura person seems scary," Ryoma said.

"Actually, he is not. Kawamura is a very nice boy, and he's extremely shy. But when he holds a racket, his personality changes completely. Like right now," Kikumaru explained.

"And over there is Fuji Syuusuke, Seiyou tensai player," Kirihara pointed to a brunette boy. Ryoma detected a hint of high admiration in Kirihara's voice.

"Hey! The tensai here is me!" Marui protested.

"You're only a self-proclaimed tensai," Yagyuu said.

Niou and Ootori snickered. Marui humph-ed. Ryoma frowned. The brunette boy seemed familiar.

"Ochibi-chan, he's the one with whom you bumped in the other day," Kikumaru said.

"Ah."

"Fuji is a specialist of counter play style. He actually rarely shows his true skills because he usually doesn't need to," Oshitari said.

"Echizen-kun, if you ever have a chance to see him seriously play - or better, have a chance to play seriously against him - it's only then that you will see a glimpse of his true skill," Jirou said.

"Ah! Jirou-senpai, you're awake!" Ryoma yelped. She didn't hear him. Jirou smiled at her.

Ryoma turned her attention to the person called Fuji Syuusuke. From what Gakuto and Oshitari told her, Jirou slept everywhere and anywhere. He would wake up only when there was a very extraordinary tennis player around or when he had enough sleep. So, if he awoke at the mention of that Fuji Syuusuke, then maybe it meant that Fuji Syuusuke must be an extraordinary tennis player too.

* * *

They continued to tell to her about all the other regular players in the three teams, describing their play style and special techniques. At the end, Ryoma had a very good idea of all the regulars' play style.

"Then it means that there are many good players. How do you do for the competitions with the other school?" Ryoma asked.

"To be able to participate in the competitions, you must become a qualified regular. You have to get in the qualification ranking," Marui explained.

"The qualification ranking determined the eight people who will represent Seiyou Academy in the competitions. Seven guarantied to play and one substitute," Yagyuu said.

"It's the ranking tournament between the three teams that determine the eight qualified players," Niou resumed.

"If you lose a game during the competition, you will be dropped from the qualified position, leaving a spot for another regular to take," Oshitari said.

"Then it means that the qualified regular are the strongest in Seiyou, right?" Ryoma asked.

"Hmn! That's right!" Ootori confirmed. Ryoma's eyes blazed.

"Who are the qualified players?"

"Well, up to now, there are some people who had never been dropped from the qualified position. There are the three captains, Tezuka, Yukimura and Atobe. And also Fuji and Sanada. As for the three last spots, we are often switched to one spot from another," Shishido said.

"But the qualified regulars can choose not to play in the competitions give other regulars a chance. For example, Yukimura. When he plays, the victory is already ours. So he gives his spot to another regular," Oshitari said.

"During the last month's competition, he gave me his spot," Kirihara said.

"Hmm… " Ryoma said.

"Echizen, it's your turn again!" Tezuka called.

"Hai! I'm coming!" Ryoma stood up and went into the court.

"Ganbatte ne (4), Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru said.

"Sakaki-coach is watching you, so do your best!" Marui winked at her.

"Hai!"

* * *

(1) mamushi: viper;

(2) baka, momo and shiri: stupid, peach and butt;

(3) desu yo nee: equivalent to "You think like that too, nee!";

(4) ganbatte: "Courage!" or "Do your best!"


	8. They stole my bento!

The next day.

Lunch time. That meant that she would finally be left alone and could eat her lunch and then have her precious nap time. Ryoma grabbed her bento (1) and walked out the class, yawning. She had finished her computer practice exercises before everyone and was getting bored. But as soon as she stepped outside the class room, she saw Kirihara, Marui and Niou walking in the hallway, searching for her.

"Echizen! Echizen!" Marui called.

"Where are you?" Kirihara yelled too.

_'Yikes! What are they doing here? How did they know that I am on this floor?' _Ryoma panicked. Then it struck her. Yanagi-senpai had once looked at her schedule. _'That's right! He must have told Inui-senpai and Inui-senpai must have made a copy of my schedule.'_

After all, Inui-senpai was Yanagi-senpai's fellow data (freak) master.

_'I better get away before they spot me!' _

Discreetly, Ryoma tiptoed in the opposite direction.

* * *

Kirihara scanned the sea of people in the hall, searching for head with black hair and emerald hints. He look on his left. Nothing. He turned his head to the right. Nothing. He turned to the left again.

_'Heh?'_ Blink. Blink._'Wait.'_

He watched on the right again.

_'Aha!' _

There! He finally spotted a short boy with black hair who was trying to escape by climbing up the nearby stair.

"There you are, Echizen! Oi, Echizen!" Kirihara called.

_'Yabe!' _Ryoma's mind screamed as she scurried away, attempting to escape

"Oi! Matte (2), Echizen!" Marui called. But Ryoma didn't listen. Instead, she sped up.

"Let's go!" Niou said. And Marui and he sprinted at full speed to her. Ryoma's short legs could not compete with Marui's and Niou's long ones. They soon caught her.

"Echizen, have lunch with us!" they chanted, grinning ear to ear. And _Hop!_, they lifted her over their heads.

"Ah!" Ryoma dropped her bento, which Kirihara picked up.

"Hey you! What are you doing? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Put me down! Put me down! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma yelled, but Marui and Niou refused to obey.

"Yadda!" Marui and Niou answered cheekily, both grinning goofy smiles.

"Come on, Echizen, it's more fun to have lunch with friends!" Kirihara said.

"Right! Right!" Marui said.

"You're not my friends! And put me down now, senpai!"

"Now let's go!" Niou said. And he and Marui carried Ryoma over their heads in the direction of the school cafeteria.

"No! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

* * *

Marui and Niou carried Ryoma throughout the school with their stupid grins plastered on their faces, gathering spectators on their way. Despite how much Ryoma protested, screamed and yelled, they wouldn't let her down.

In the school dining room, Yukimura and the others were having their meal. As expected from Seiyou Academy, the food was cooked by five stars restaurants chefs. Today's menu was French cuisine, fancy French cuisine.

"Here he is!" Marui and Niou said as they put Ryoma down.

"Ah, Echizen-kun! I'm so glad you joined us for lunch," Yukimura said, smiling.

"I didn't come of my own free will, senpai!" Ryoma said stubbornly.

"He was trying to sneak away, but I caught him!" Kirihara said proudly. Ryoma glared daggers at him and growled. Yukimura chuckled.

"Now now, Echizen-kun. Don't be so angry. Here, sit next to me," Yukimaru said as he pulled her down on the chair next to him, not giving her the choice to protest.

"Hmph!" Ryoma turned to Kirihara. "Kirihara, give me back my bento!"

"What? You mean that this little rectangular box is your lunch?" Kirihara said, pointing at the box wrapped in a blue cloth.

"Yeah! Now, hand it to over!"

But Kirihara wouldn't give it to her. In fact, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were examining her bento as if they never saw one in their life.

"How can it be possible? How a lunch can fit into such a small box?" Ootori said.

"Echizen, what's inside? We wanna see!" Kirihara said. And before she could said anything, he already unwrapped the blue cloth and opened the cover. Kirihara put the box in the middle of the table so everyone could see its contents.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

They saw all sorts of colors: white, green, brown, red and yellow.

"What's this thing?" Marui pointed to the red thing.

"And this?" Niou asked, referring to the yellow thing.

"And this too?" Ootori said, showing the brown thing.

Ryoma was surprised. They really didn't know what bento was.

"This is rice," Ryoma started to explain, pointing to the white thing. "This is fried tofu, that is cooked vegetable, this is octopus and that is sweet egg rolls. That is beef cooked with oyster sauce. This is deep fried shrimps. And the triangle things here are onigiris (3). There are umeboshi (4) salmon, egg and tune flavor."

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

"So this is what the commoners call a bento…" Inui mumbled as he scribbled in his notebook.

"I read it in the newspaper. There is a common folk saying that mothers make their children fancy bentos, showing other mothers they are the best. They can wake up very early in the morning just to prepare a bento. Some people wake at 3 o'clock in the morning," Oshitari said.

"What? At 3 in the morning?" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Shishido yelled, incredulous. They looked down at the bento. How was it possible that such a small food box could take so many hours to prepare?

"Kaa-san and Nanako don't wake up at 3 the morning to make me lunch," Ryoma said, exasperated. "They have more common sense then that!"

"What? You mean that this lunch is made by your family members and not by a cook-chef?" Niou said.

"I think common people don't hire private chefs to cook their meals," Yanagi said.

"I think that's because they cannot afford to hire one," Yagyuu said.

"So poor!" Marui and Niou chorused.

_'Rich bastards!' _Ryoma thought, eye twitching.

"But it's nicely arranged, with all this coloring," Kikumaru said. "It's really cute, the cat design."

"Nanako likes doing all sorts of designs in my bentos."

"The smell of the rice is particularly nice. It's very good. I never knew rice could have such a good perfume," Ootori said, inhaling deeply.

"Kaa-san has a special way to cook the rice. She always puts something in it when she is cooking the rice to give it a flavor, like onion, mint, ginger or any kind of flavor herbs. That's why her rice always smells very good."

"Say, is this portion inside enough for one person?" Oshitari wondered.

"I would rather say that it's barely enough for a baby stomach. It's so small," Marui added.

Ryoma grunted.

_'Really a bunch of rich bastards!' _she thought.

The amount of food was enough for two people, because Ryoma's stomach was abnormally wide. But it was also because she really loved her mother's and her cousin's cooking. To her, their cooking was the best in the world.

"But it's only commoner foods," Atobe said. "It's so poor. It doesn't suit Ore-sama's tastes!"

"Who said that you were invited, Monkey King?" Ryoma retorted. Atobe grunted. How can that boy still be calling him by that horrible name?

"Ah! Then does it mean that we can eat this?" Kirihara, Marui and Niou exclaimed excitedly.

"_**WHAT? **_I never said something like that! Hey you! Stop it!" Ryoma yelled.

But they had already dug in. Even the others joined them. To Ryoma's horror, she saw her onigiris disappeared. Then her shrimps, then her sweet egg, then her octopus from her bento.

"Yukimura-buchou, here, try this one! It's really good!" Kirihara gave Yukimura a piece of onigiri.

"This onigiri is delicious. It's simply made but the taste is incredible. The umeboshi makes you want to eat more. Ne, Sanada," Yukimura said. Sanada and Tezuka nodded.

"The salmon onigiri is not bad too," Oshitari said.

"I preferred the tuna one," Shishido said.

"Yeah! Me too!" Ootori said.

"The egg rolls are sweet and fluffy. It's really good. Here Fuji, try some!" Kikumaru said.

"Ah…" Fuji agreed.

"I like the rice. It's soft on the tongue and the flavor is appealing," Yagyuu said.

"I didn't know that vegetable can be cooked in this way too," Inui said, chewing the cabbage.

"It's original, beef with oyster sauce," Yanagi said.

"I really like the octopus," Marui said.

"Me too!" Kirihara said.

"Have you tried the shrimp?" Niou asked.

"Hey! That's right! I wanna try too!" Ootori said.

"Hey! Let me some rice!" Jirou said.

"Ah! Jirou, you're awake?" Gakuto said.

"The aroma woke me. I wanna try too," Jirou said.

"Here you go!" Gakuto gave him a piece of egg onigiri.

"Thanks!" he popped into his mouth and chewed. "It's really good! I want something else!"

"Kabaji, give me a piece of beef!" Atobe said.

"Usu!"

"Hey, leave me some vegetables! I haven't tried them!" Kirihara said.

"Is there still a bite of egg onigiri left?" Marui asked.

In the end, Ryoma wanted to cry. Little by little, the bento box became emptier and emptier, until there was almost nothing else left inside.

_Pop!_ A vein popped on her head, her right eyebrow twitching.

_'Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! What a bunch of rude rich bastards!'_ she thought.

* * *

Ootori licked his lips.

"This tastes different from what I eat every day. It's light. Not rich. But I like it," he said.

"It's easy on the stomach," Yagyuu agreed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"And quite tasty, I admit, for commoner food," Oshitari said.

"It's good. But it's not enough for a meal," Niou said.

"Hmn!" Marui nodded.

"You idiots! It was made for one person, ME and only _ME_, not for twenty people!" Ryoma yelled, furious. She growled, showing her fangs, flames dancing around her, her eyes shooting laser beam. "Grrrr grrrrrrrrr grrrrrrr!"

The guys back off away from the girl in fire, sweat dropping.

"Yagyuu, did you teach him your Laser Beam?" Ootori asked.

"No, I didn't," Yagyuu answered.

"Me neither," Kikumaru said.

"Argh grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Ryoma continued to growl.

Marui, Kirihara and Niou gulped, sweating cold sweat.

"Maa maa, Echizen, calm down. We've never seen a homemade bento before in our lives. We were just a little bit curious. Here, have some too," Kirihara said, handing her her bento box. But, "Ara? There's nothing inside. What happen to all the foods in? Where did they go?"

There was absolutely nothing left. They took everything. And she was looking so much for today lunch because her mother made her Japanese foods, and all her favorites. And she couldn't have a bite of her mother's so awaited cooking.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" Ryoma growled like an angry dog, ready to bite. But her growl didn't match with the one coming from her stomach. It was screaming loudly.

_Gugugu… Gugugu… **GURU GURU GURU GURU GURU !**_

The boys sweat dropped. It was so embarrassing, but Ryoma wasn't feeling embarrassed at all because her fury dominated everything.

"Amend me my bento! _**NOW!**_" she roared.

"Hai! Sugu ni ikimasu (5)!" Kirihara, Marui and Niou saluted her in a soldier style and dashed to find something to replace her lunch.

_'He's scary when he's hungry!' _they thought.

* * *

Back home.

_**BAM!**_

Ryoma kicked the door of her house and stomped in.

"Oi! Bishou-…!" Nanjirou stopped. Ryoma shoot him one of those dangerous glares when she was angry. Flames were dancing around her and her eyes were an enraged crimson.

"Grrrrrrrr…"

"Kaeri Chibi-…!" Ryoga stopped too. There was something about her that frightened him.

"Grrrrr! Grrrrr!" Ryoma growled.

"Yikes!" Ryoga and Nanjirou gulped and ran to hide behind Rinko.

"Okaeri, Ryoma," Rinko tried.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" was Ryoma's only answer. Then, she stomped up stair into her bedroom.

"Kaa-san, didn't you make her favorite lunch today?" Ryoga asked, shivering.

"Yes, I did," Rinko said. "But I don't understand what happened to her."

Once a month, Rinko made sure to make for Ryoma her favorite foods for her lunches. It was always during the days of Ryoma's PMS periode times. The family discovered that if Ryoma was fed with her favorite foods during her PMS, her mood was better. And it was also safer for Ryoga and Nanjirou too. During her PMS time, Ryoma was particularly dangerous to all people with a Y-chromosome in their genes. Alas for Ryoga and Nanjirou, they were born with a Y-chromosome in their DNA. Today, Rinko had made a Japanese bento for Ryoma so they didn't understand why her mood was so bad.

"Rinko, let's have Japanese supper for tonight. We don't want to die now," Nanjirou said, chattering his teeth. Ryoga nodded vividly.

"Hmn," Rinko nodded.

"Kaa-san, I don't want to die now. I am still young. I am going out for a while. I will be back by supper time!" Ryoga said, scurrying to the door before Ryoma decided to come down.

"Hey, I will go with you!" Nanjirou said. "We leave the rest to you two!" And the two men flew away as if they had a horde of devils on their tails. Rinko sighed.

"Well Nanako-chan, let's change tonight menu," Rinko said. Nanako chuckled.

"Hai, obaa-san (6)."

* * *

After supper - it was all her favorite foods -, Ryoma was feeling better. Plus, her brother and her father bought her her favorite ice cream flavor. For what reason they did it, she don't know, but it made her happier. After another handful scoop of ice cream, Ryoma's mood was restored to the best. She was grinning a huge smile from ear to ear, petting happily her stomach.

_'Piouffffffff!' _Ryoga and Nanjirou sighed, relieved. They were saved now.

It was a really good idea from Ryoga to buy her her favorite ice cream flavor. Japanese foods did miracles with Ryoma during her PMS, but sweets were also Ryoma's weaknesses. Nanako asked her what happened at school today.

"Those rich bastards never saw a homemade bento before in their live. They stole my bento! They didn't even leave me a single bite!" Ryoma explained.

_'So that was why!'_ they all thought.

"At they replace it with Western foods, French foods!" Ryoma finished. Ryoma hated Western foods, so it wasn't the best thing to give her if someone wanted to make her happy.

Alas for many guys, they suffered from her fury during today ranking tournament after school. Yesterday, the opponents whom she beat thought that she was a monster. But today, they told themselves that they were lucky to have had a match with her yesterday and not today. They pitied the guys who played against her today. Ryoma went on rampage and all the opponents who encountered her had a huge psychological shock. They would need a couple of days off, if not a week, to recover.

_'Fear the wrath of a PMS-ing Ryoma who is not fed with Japanese foods!' _Ryoga and Nanjirou thought.

* * *

(1) bento: lunch box;

(2) matte: wait;

(3) onigiri: rice balls;

(4) umeboshi: plum pickles;

(5) sugu ni ikimasu: I'm going right away;

(6) obaa-san: aunt.


	9. Ryoma vs Kaido part 1: Taunt the Snake

A/N: IMPORTANT TO TAKE IN CONSIDERATION IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY.

When ever Ryoma is referred by the people in the story (classmates, teammates), who dont' know that she is a girl, Ryoma would be 'he/his'. When it's a narration, for you readers who already know that Ryoma is a girl, Ryoma would be referred as 'she/her'.

* * *

Today, the crowd on the tennis court was bigger than the other days.

Why?

Because of a phenomenal first year boy.

It was incredible that a freshman was allowed to participate in the ranking tournament. But when they saw him played during the last days, they understood why Sakaki-coah made an exception to the rules. That freshman beat a player after another without sweating or getting tired. He was still cool when his opponents were sweating like pork.

In the first selection, he won just with his services. In the second, he didn't move a step away from his spot in all his games. Only his opponents were running right to left. Some people could even see that he was half asleep, as he kept yawning up and down during all the game. In the third selection, it took him least than fifteen minutes to finish a game.

However, for some unknown reasons, during the last selection, Echizen Ryoma was particuliary… agressive… dangerous. He looked very much angry… As if he wanted to kill whoever dare to piss him off…

Anyway, he was the new attraction of Seiyou. For the girls, because he was a really cute guy. For the boys, because he succeed to join the ranking tournament when he was only a freshman.

"He is much better than we expected from him, Renji," Inui said as he looked at Ryoma's games on the game chart. Ryoma won all the game 6-0. Yanagi nodded.

"He's a promising first year, nee Sanada," Yukimura said. Sanada agreed.

"He succeed to go so easily through the three selections, but what will happen from now?" Yagyuu said. They turned over to see Ryoma stepped in the tennis court.

"He is facing a regular now. This should be interesting," Oshitari said. They all nodded, agreeing with him. They and the crowd were curious to know to where this Echizen Ryoma can climb.

* * *

Today ranking tournament was special. People don't want to miss it. That first year Echizen Ryoma was facing the scariest of all the regulars, Kaido Kaoru, from Seigaku. Kaido was know to be a tough player who never give up until the end. Plus, he used the snake technique to beat his opponent, making them running around the court until they lost their stamina, then attacked them. How will this new freshman face him?

As Ryoma appeared, everybody turned to look at her, but she wasn't aware of it. She was yawning, trying to shake herself up.

_'This guy is not even aware of the situation he put himself in,'_ people thought.

"Echizen, wake up, for Heaven sake!" Kirihara yelled in her ear.

"Hai hai," Ryoma said, grimacing as she rubbed her ears.

"Echizen, Kaido is not an normal opponent. He is strong and determinate to win. You have to take him seriously," Niou said.

"Kaido?"

"He's your next opponent," Ootori said.

"Ah. So his name is Kaido," Ryoma said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori felt in anime-style.

"Echizen, at least learn your opponent's name!" Niou said, scratching his head.

"Hai."

"Here, eat this before you play him," Marui said, giving her a box.

"What's this?" Ryoma asked as she opened the box.

"It's a strawberry short cake, my favorite," Marui said. "I always eat one before before a game."

"Why should I eat it?"

"Kaido's tactic play is to tired his opponent with his Snake until his opponent lost stamina. This cake will supply you enough glucose to keep your stamina so you can face Kaido."

Ryoma closed the box and gave it back to Marui.

"Echizen?"

She smirked.

"I will beat him without this cake," she said cockily. She turned on her heels and entered the court. "I will eat it after I win the game."

They looked at her, dumb.

_'Cocky bastard!'_ they all thought.

"He sure is confident of himself," Ootori said. Kirihara, Marui and Niou nodded.

* * *

Kaido and Ryoma were facing each other over the net. Even if Kaido was slightly bended, he was still very tall compared to Ryoma. Ryoma looked up at him, her head tilted back, not letting his height intimidating her. She wasn't scare of his snake-like self and his scarry face.

The people around were dumbed. Kaido was a scary boy, but that short boy with the white cap was as scary as him. What kind of person was he?

"Is he really brave or he is just simply stupid, to look in Kaido's eyes like that and not being scared?" Shishido asked.

"I think that Echizen is just cocky," Yagyuu said. Oshitari and Gakuto nodded.

"A cocky brat, that's it! Naa, Kabaji?"

"Usu!"

* * *

Kaidoh glared at his opponent. Ryoma glared back. Kaidoh threw her a viper glare. She threw back a cocky glare. Kaidoh's eyes were now scary. She glared him back not frightened at all. The started up a glaring contest up. People around sweat dropped.

"Hey! How long do they planned to do their glaring contest?" Gakuto asked.

"Echizen, Kaido, stop slacking off and start already!" Tezuka snapped, annoyed.

"Hai," Kaido and Ryoma answered. Ryoma took her racket and spin it on the ground.

"Which?"

"Rough," Kaido answered. The racket dropped on the rough side.

"Service," Kaido said.

"End." Ryoma said and picked up her racket. They parted to stand on their position.

"Kaido Kaoru vs Echizen. One set. Kaido to serve," the referee called. Kaido served and Ryoma and him started a rally.

* * *

It had been five minutes since they started. Kaidoh hit a ball at the left corned. Ryoma ran and returned the ball at the opposite corner were Kaidoh was. Kaidoh took only a few steps and reach the ball before it turned to be a point for Ryoma.

_'He is good, very good. He hasn't miss a single ball,'_ Kaido thought and hit.

_'As Niou-senpai said, he is not a normal opponent,'_ Ryoma thought as she returned his ball.

_'I have no choice but to change tactic,'_ Kaido told himself. Kaido half turned his body, slightly tilted his racket, swung it upward and hit a backhand ball.

"Ah!" Ryoma was surprised. The ball curved to the right. Ryoma jumped on one leg to its direction, ready to return it. But she couldn't. The ball bounced to the opposite direction from where Ryoma expected.

"15-love," the referee called.

"Oooooooooooh!" the crowd cheered. "It's the Snake!"

_'Snake? So this is Snake…' _Ryoma watched Kaido. _'Not bad, Kaido-senpai.' _

Kaido returned her glare, then went to the receiver position. Ryoma served and another rally started.

"Renji," Inui said. Yanagi nodded.

"Kaido starts using his Snake earlier than usually."

"This means that, even against Kaido, Echizen is also a tough opponent," Oshitari said. Yagyuu nodded.

* * *

The rally between Kaido and Ryoma had pulled on fifteen minutes. Ryoma didn't miss any ball.

"Hey! He's really good, that freshman!" a spectator said.

"Hmn!" his companions agreed with him.

"Even against Kaido, he didn't miss a single ball."

"Hmn! Hmn!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Echizen-kun! Ganbatte nee (1)!" the girls squealed.

"We loved you!"

* * *

Ryoma don't paid attention to them.

_'It's been the same kind of shot for more than fifteen minutes, but the balls have the same speed and the same power. They are easy to be returned back. He his planning something else,' _Ryoma analyzed._ 'Let's try something too…'_

Ryoma purposely slowed down her speed. Kaido flashed. He grinned evilly.

_'Got you!'_ Kaido thought. _'Finish!' _Kaido hit a Snake with an more decreased angle, making the ball bounced earlier than the others balls.

"30-love."

_'He can even use Short Snake,'_ Ryoma reflected.

Kaidoh and Ryoma exchanged another rally. Serve. Run. Return. Run. Hit. Then, Kaidoh changed tactic. _Snake._

"40-love." The same pattern repeated again. A few ball and a snake.

"1-love. Kaido."

"Woaaaaah!" The crowd cheered.

"As expected, Kaido!" someone said.

* * *

From outside the court.

"Now, what are you going to do, Echizen-kun?" Yukimura said.

"If the brat don't do anything, he will lost the game," Atobe said.

* * *

_'I think it's time for me to be serious now,'_ Ryoma thought.

"Echizen to serve."

"You're not bad, Kaido-senpai," Ryoma said. "But it's my turn now."

She got in position. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Throw. And serve.

The ball landed in front of Kaido. It spin on itself, then bounced into the direction of Kaido's face. Kaido couldn't return it.

"Fifth-... 15-love," the referee stuttered. The crowd was frozen.

"Wha-… Wha-… What was that?"

"What was that kind of serve?"

"We saw it the other day," someone said. "It's the Twist Serve."

"But today, it is more polish then when we first saw it," his companion said.

"Su-… Sugoi…"

* * *

From outside the court.

"Tw-… Twist Serve…" Sakaki-coach muttered.

"And a very accurate one," Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"His Twist Serve even surpassed the one of the professionals…" Sakaki-coach continued. "And to think that he's only a teenager."

Sakaki-coach reflected a moment.

"I understand now why Yanagi and Inui insisted on letting him play in the ranking tournament…" he said. Ryuzaki-sensei nodded.

* * *

"Hmn. Very good, Echizen-kun," Ootori said. "But this is only the beginning of the game. Kaido hasn't yet show all what he can do."

"But I think that Echizen has other surprises in his sleeves too," Niou said, seeing her smile under her white cap.

* * *

It had been half an hour and the score was 4-3 for Kaido. However, it had been hard on Kaido. Kaido send a Snake and made the white cap boy ran to the left side of the court. Ryoma returned it and ran to the right. As expected, Kaido hit a Snake to the right. Left, right, left, right.

"Ochibi-chan is sweating a lot," Kikumaru said.

"Will he be able to continue like that?" Ootori wondered.

"He should have eat the cake I offered him," Marui said.

"But he is not loosing concentration on the game," Niou said.

"Hey, Echizen!" Kirihara shouted. "If you lost the game, I can eat the cake at your place, right?"

"Don't even think about it, Kirihara! It's mine!" Ryoma replied.

"Che!" Kirihara snorted. Marui, Niou and Ootori snickered. Yukimura chuckled as Tezuka and Sanada sighed.

* * *

Kaido watched Ryoma ran. The boy was sweating heavily, but he don't look tired. His balls were accurate and he kept aiming at the base line.

_'I admit. He is an incredible first year. Even now, he can still aim at the baseline. He has an incredible stamina. But so I am,'_ Kaido thought.

Ryoma aimed another ball at the baseline. Kaido slightly bend his knees to reach it and returned it.

_'This is strange. His shoot are more powerful than before. How come?'_

* * *

Fuji didn't detache his eyes from the freshman. He watched Ryoma as she aimed another ball at the baseline, next to Kaido's left foot.

_'An excellent tactic against Kaido,'_ Fuji observed.

"Kaido hasn't realize it yet," Inui said. Yanagi nodded.

* * *

Ryoma aimed another ball at the baseline. Kaido bended his knees and hit. Then, it struck him.

_'Ah! No! It's not his balls that are stronger, it's me who is becaming weaker. I cannot let him continue like this!'_

Kaido returned a ball and ran in the frontline.

_'He realized it,'_ Ryoma thought.

* * *

"Ara? Why Kaido went in the frontline?" Kikumaru asked.

"He's not a frontline player," Gakuto said.

"Echizen aims his ball at the baseline, giving Kaido little space to reply. By going in the front, he gives himself more possibilities to return back Echizen's shots," Yagyuu explained. "Kaido felt in his own trap."

"What? How come?" Kirihara asked.

"Kaido makes Echizen run from the right to the left with his Snake to make Echizen lost his stamina," Niou said. "However, Echizen set another trap on his own too."

"He makes Kaido lost his stamina by forcing him to bend his knees each time to reach the balls," Marui completed. "Kaido lost three time more his stamina each time he bends his knees."

"Sou ka…" Momoshiro said.

"What a scary guy, that Echizen…" Shishido said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Gakuto nodded.

* * *

_'I'm not going to give up to a freshman!'_ Kaido thought. _'I still have something.'_

Kaido hit and returned to the baseline. He got in position, waiting for the next ball.

_'What is he planning to do?'_ Ryoma wondered.

* * *

(1) ganbatte: don't give up;

(2) sou ka: equivalent to "I understand".

A/N: By the way, for those who thought the introduction chapter was short, I rewrite it. Now, it's longer than it was before.


	10. Ryoma vs Kaido part 2: Bite the Snake

From last time…

_'I'm not going to give up to a freshman!' _Kaido thought. _'I still have something.'_

Kaido hit and returned to the baseline. He got in position, waiting for the next ball.

_'What is he planning to do?' _Ryoma wondered.

* * *

"Kaido is going to use it," Kikumaru said. Ootori, Shishido, Marui, Niou, Kirihara and Oshitari nodded.

"Mamushi is Mamushi. You cannot take the Snake away from him," Momoshiro said.

.

Kaido made a full circle with his racket, using all his arm, from the shoulder to the wrist. He received the ball in the sweet spot of his racket. He half spined his upper body to add more power into the ball. He returned the ball with a slight curve from the wrist.

_'It's not a normal shot!' _Ryoma thought. The ball made a perfect curve around the pole and landed in her court, right on the line of the single court.

"Ah!" Ryoma exclaimed.

_'Wha-… What was that…?'_

She was impressed. She never saw such a refined Buggy Shot before.

"5-3. Kaido," the referee said.

"Oh! Boomerang Snake! Sugoi!" someone said.

_'Huh?' _She looked at Kaido. _'So this is the Boomerang Snake…' _Ryoma thought.

.

"Now, what will you do, Echizen? One point more and Kaido wins," Yukimura said.

.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

_'I must find a way back!' _Ryoma told herself.

Serve and hit. Hit. Hit.

Boomerang Snake. Mark.

"15-love."

_'I need to observe it again.'_.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Boomerang Snake. Mark.

"30-love."

_'Just one more time,' _Ryoma thought. She took her place, preparing to receive. _'Show me the Boomerang Snake just one more time.'_

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Full arm swing. Wrist curve. Boomerang Snake. Mark.

"40-love."

_'That's it!' _

Ryoma triomphly smiled. She found two weaknesses in the Boomerang Snake. Two people saw her smile.

_'Interesting,' _Yukimura and Fuji thought.

* * *

Kaido aimed to the left corner. Ryoma charged and replied by sending the ball to Kaido's right side. And she immediately ran to the left corner.

_'Echizen-kun, I admit, for a freshman, you're an amazing player,' _Kaido thought. _'But this game is already mine! This is the end!'_

For this last ball, which will make his victory, Kaido put all what he had into that Boomerang Snake.

_'Just as I expected! A Boomerang Snake!' _Ryoma thought.

The ball arrived on Ryoma's left side. She ran to the extreme left of the court.

"He will make it. Echizen will reach the ball in time!" someone said.

"But how will he return the ball? It's coming from his left side!"

"That's true! How will he return it? He will have to do a backhand shot."

.

Inui flipped through his notes and read over his data on Ryoma.

"Regarding his last games, Echizen has a very weak backhand," Inui said.

"Yes," Yanagi remarked. "But to be able to return the Boomerang Snake from Echizen's current position, it's a backhand which is needed."

"How will he do it?" Oshitari asked.

"He cannot not hit a backhand to the left with his right hand!" Ootori said.

"If Kaido have this point, it will be his win," Niou said.

.

Ryoma heard them. She smiled.

_'Backhand is not the only possibility, Inui-senpai, Yanagi-senpai!'_ Ryoma thought, smirking.

The Boomerang Snake curved around the pole. She jumped on her right foot.

_Hop!_

She changed her racket to her left hand. And,

_Smash!  
_

"15-40. Echizen."

The crowd was silence.

_'Wha-…' _Kaido couldn't believe what he just saw.

He wasn't the only one. Everyone was dumbstruck.

"Wha-… What…?" someone said.

"H-how…?"

"How did he do that…?"

"He… He changes his racket to his left hand…"

"Su-… Sugoi sugiru(1)…"

"But the most impressive is…"

"That Echizen… he returns Kaido's Boomerang Snake…"

"What kind of monster is he… Echizen Ryoma…?"

_'Ho-… How did he return my Boomerang Snake?' _Kaido wondered, in shock.

He watched Ryoma with frightened eyes.

_'It… It must be a fluke…'_

.

"Kaido…" Oshitari said.

"He is in shock," Gakuto said.

"It's normal… He just saw a freshman defeating his Boomerang Snake," Ootori said.

"But that's not the only thing that shock Kaido," Niou said.

"When Kaido set the Snake trap to make Echizen lost his stamina, he found himself falling in Echizen's trap. That was already a rude psychological shock," Yanagi said.

"But now, adding the by the shock of seeing his best move being returned so easily by Echizen…" Marui said.

"It's too much shock for such a short period of time," Inui concluded.

"And to think that was the last ball for Kaido's victory…" Yagyuu said.

"The shock must be three time to stronger for Kaido," Kirihara said.

They looked at Kaido.

.

_'Just as I thought,' _Ryoma thought. _'The Boomerang Snake is used when Kaido-senpai is on the side of the court.'_

She watched Kaido._  
_

_'Kaido-senpai! I won't let you win this game! It's my coming back from now on!' _Ryoma smiled as she changed her racket back to her right hand.

.

_'No… It… It must be a fluke…' _Kaido though. He took a deep breath and gathered himself back. _'I have to mark but one more point, one point only!'_

Hit. Hit. Hit. Run.

Another Boomerang Snake to the left side.

Ryoma gave a push on her right foot. _Hop!_ Racket to the left hand, and,

_Smash!_

"30-40."

"Woooooooooooooohhhhhh!" the crowd cheered.

.

"Echizen found a weakness of the Boomerang Snake," Yagyuu said.

"He purposely makes Kaido use his Boomerang Snake by aiming to the side of the court," Yanagi said.

"Meanwhile, he runs to the same court side, anticipating the arriving of the Boomerang Snake," Inui continued.

"But because Kaido is on the baseline, he doesn't have enough time to come to the frontline, where Echizen smashes," Oshitari finished.

"What a fearful player, that Echizen," Ootori said. Kirihara, Marui and Niou nodded.

"Hmm. I want to play Echizen too," Jirou said.

"Ah! Jirou, you're awake!" Gakuto yelped. Jirou only smiled, but his eyes were fixed on the court, particularly on Ryoma.

_'Show me what else do you have, Echizen**-chan**…' _Jirou thought, smiling.

.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Boomerang Snake.

Racket switch hand and smash.

"4-5. Echizen."

Ryoma smirked.

_'It… It's not a fluke…' _A cold sweat ran down Kaido's neck. He gulped. _'He… He__ can return my Boomerang Snake.'_

.

_'Next, I'm going to seal your Boomerang Snake, Kaido-senpai,'_ Ryoma thought.

"Kaido to serve."

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Boome…

_'What?' _Kaido eyed Ryoma.

She smirked. Kaido hit a normal shot.

.

"Hey, Kaido didn't hit the Boomerang Snake," someone said.

"I wonder why…?"

.

"Kaido cannot hit a Boomerang Snake," Inui said.

"As long as Echizen aimed in the middle of the court," Yanagi completed.

"How come, Inui-senpai?" Momoshiro asked.

"The Boomerang Snake requires that Echizen aims at the side of the court," Inui began.

"But now, Echizen aims only in the middle," Yanagi continued.

"If Kaido does a Boomerang Snake from the middle of the court, it will not be efficient," Yagyuu continued.

"It will be out," Oshitari finished.

"More than that, Echizen aims low ball at Kaido's feet," Jirou said. "It's the most difficult place to reach for Kaido because of his long legs and arms."

"Because of the low ball, Kaido have to retract his arm against his body in order to return the ball. With that stance, Kaido cannot put topspin into the ball. Thus, he cannot perform a Boomerang Snake," Fuji said.

"In other words," Marui added.

"Echizen seales the Boomerang Snake," Niou completed.

"Uso (2)…" Ootori said.

"Osoroshii (3), Echizen…" Kirihara said.

"Mamushi…" Momoshiro said. "What are you going to do now?"

.

"5-all," the referee called.

.

"Ochibi is making a coming back," Kikumaru said.

"But will he be able to win? Kaido have to mark but one ball and he will win," Gakuto said.

.

"15-love."

_'I'm not giving up yet!' _Kaido thought. _'I can still continue!'_

"15-all."

_'Kaido-senpai is sure persistent! But so am I!'_ Ryoma thought.

"30-15."

The both of them were breathing heavily.

"30-all."

.

"I can't no longer detach my eyes from them," Kikumaru said.

"I know what you mean," Gakuto said. "If I blink, I would probably miss something."

.

"40-15."

_'Just one more ball! Just one more ball!' _Kaido thought.

"40-all."

Kaido gripped his racket with his two hands, half bended his knees, and swung up with a spin of his body.

_'Ah! What?' _Ryoma got caught off. _'A two hand Boomerang Snake?' _Ryoma ran to the left side of the court. _'That's right! With two hands, the Boomerand Snake will have enough power to be in!'_

She caught the ball just in time. But its power was a little bit to much for her.

_'Urgh!' _Ryoma grinned her teeth. The ball was heavy, very heavy._ 'Come one! Do it! Do it!'_

A last effort, she succeed to launch the ball. But she lost her stability and stomped. However, the shot wasn't high enough. The ball hit the net, flipped up and felt on the net. It bounced a little bit on the net, then stood there, not moving. The whole tennis court went silence. All the eyes were fixed on the ball, which was staying with a precarious stability on the net.

_'On which side it will fall?'_ everybody wondered.

Ryoma lifted her eyes from the ground to watch the ball, like everyone.

_'Come on! Fall in the other side! On the other side!' _Kaido and Ryoma desperately prayed.

But the space time stop running, frozing everything and every motion.

Fuji opened his cerulean eyes and the wind gushed in Seiyou tennis court, sending the leaves dancing in the sky. The ball ran a few centimeters on the net. Then, it felt… in Kaido's side of the court.

"WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the spectators cheered.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the girls squealed.

"Game set. Won by Echizen. 7 - 5," the referee called.

"That was amazing!" someone said.

"I never saw such an exciting match!"

"It was worthy to come to watch!"

"This first year is incredible!"

"And he's so cool!" girls squealed.

"I've heard that he is free, no girlfriend. I'll try my chance with him!"

The people who came to see that first year were happy to see such a good performance. They understood now why that Echizen Ryoma was given a special permission to join the ranking tournament.

"He won! He won! He won!" Kirihara and Kikumaru danced in circle like clowns.

Kaido and Ryoma sighed. Kaido, because he admitted his defeat. Ryoma, because she forgot to breath while watching the ball on the net. She lay her head on the ground. She needed a short break, to take back her breath. Now! She don't care about the place where she was or the people around. Suddenly, she was lifted up by three people.

"Ah!" Ryoma exclaimed.

"Yahooooooooooooooooo!" Niou screamed.

"Way to go, Echizen!" Marui said.

"You sure hold my breath!" Ootori said. Marui, Niou and Ootori then threw her in the air.

"Yay!"

"Hey, wait! Senpai! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! What are you doing? Put me down! Put me down! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

But Marui, Niou and Ootori continued to throw her up and down, cheering.

"Yay! Yay! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

"That was an amazing game, Echizen!" Kirihara said.

"Wonderful!" Niou said.

"You deserve your cake!" Marui said.

But Ryoma don't care about their comments. Right now, only one thing mattered to her.

"I don't care what you're saying. Just put me down! Put me down damn it! Put me down now!"

But the excited boys were deaf to her request.

_'Very good, Echizen-chan!'_ Jirou thought, laughing silently.

"Isn't that good, Sakaki? It was worthy to break the rule for him," Ryuzaki-sensei said, smiling as she watched the crowd around Ryoma. Sakaki-coach nodded.

.

Back to where Ryoma was.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! Senpai! Put me down! Put me down, damn it!" Ryoma continued to yell. But Ootori, Marui and Niou continued their game, laughing.

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"Echizen, this is a victory salutation! You should not complain!" Kirihara said.

"Shut up, Kirihara! And put me down now, damn it!" Ryoma roared. She was starting to feel nauseous.

_'That's it, I'm going to puke!' _Ryoma thought.

Suddenly, two hands caught her from under her shoulders. Next, she was gently set on her two feet. Ryoma turned around to see Yukimura, who was smiling to her.

"Ah… Arigatou, Yukimura-senpai," Ryoma said.

"Dou itashimashite," Yukimura answered.

Ryoma walked to the net, where Kaido was waiting. Ryoma gave him her hand.

"Kaido-senpai, this time it was luck. If it wasn't because of the wind, maybe I would have lost this game. Next time, I will beat you with my own power," Ryoma said. Kaido took her hand.

"Don't think that I will aloud you. Next time, it's me who will win," Kaido replied.

"Anytime you want," Ryoma said. And she smirked.

_'He is too cocky for his own good,' _Tezuka, Sanada, Yagyuu and Oshitari thought.

_'What a brat!'_ Atobe thought. Yet he cannot help himself as he smiled too.

Kaido and Ryoma shook hands and separated.

"Mamushi, you got beaten by a first year. Did you got weaker?" Momoshiro taunted.

"Uruse (4)," Kaido replied. They looked at the crowd around Echizen.

"Marui-senpai, where is my cake?" Ryoma asked.

* * *

(1) sugoi sugiru: it's too awesome;

(2) uso: lie, it can't be true, you're jocking;

(3) osoroshi: scary;

(4) uruse: from "urusai", means "Shut up!"


	11. Visiting a hospitalized friend

A/N: I'm answering some reviews.

1) From EverlastingDreamer and Sasodei-iz-awsome:  
**Does Jirou know about Ryoma being a girl or he just simply likes Echizen?  
**I'm not answering this question now. Wait and see for the future chapters.

2) From Animemangaotaku and Meg gara:  
**...Kind of hoping for more Fuji. There has been no progression on that storyline.**  
There was a need for Ryoma to take her place within the group of people, to show how she came to fit into them, how a bonding was created between everybody and her. Now that is done, it's time for Fuji to play his role.

So, Fuji time up!

Enjoy!

* * *

Ryoma succeed to join in the regulars rang.

After defeating Kaido Kaoru, she faced Inui Sadaharu, Seisgaku's brain. The data master had collected all her informations and used them against her. She got kind of pissed off because she felt like being a machine with previsible results. She showed him that data may be reliable, but they were a sword with double edges.

"You use my data against beat me? Then I'll go above them!" she said.

To the suprise of everyone, they discovered that she was a southpaw and not a righthand player. Inui knows her speed? She added in her Slipt Step, making herself faster than her normal speed.

"Kirihara, he is as good as you with the Slipt Step," Sadana said.

"But…" Fuji focused on Ryoma's feet. "His Slipt Step is on one foot, which made him even faster."

Inui can predicte where her balls landed?

Fine! She just showed him that even if he knew the landing position of her ball, it don't mean that he could return it. She served him her Twist Serve, which was more polished then the time she played against Kaido.

She won.

"Inui-senpai, it was interesting facing you. But I don't want to play with you anymore," she told him, grimacing. Inui smiled.

"But I got new data on you, Echizen-kun. Thank you," Inui said. She scowled.

Thus, she became a Seigaku regular.

* * *

Now, she was watching the games of the qualified regulars. It was Fuji Syuusuke against Kirihara Akaya. Somehow, from the beginning of the game, Ryoma couldn't detach her eyes from Fuji Syuusuke. His play style was incredible. It was graceful, yet powerful. Their was like a mystery envelopping his being, something Ryoma never saw in her life.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Cerulean eyes opened.

The wind blew.

Listenning to the wind.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Throw. And serve.

Kirihara ran, but couldn't make it. The ball hit the ground and flew back to it original court, where Fuji caught it with his hand.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" the crowd was once again impressed by the tensai's play.

"Sugoi, Fuji-senpai!"

Ryoma cannot believe what she saw. Her eyes were fixed on the brunette senpai.

_'H-How…'_ A cold sweat ran down her neck. She gulped. _'How did he do that…? What kind of tennis player is he…?'_

"You see Echizen, that's Hakugei, one of Fuji Syuusuke's counter techniques," Jirou said.

"Ha… Hakugei…" Ryoma repeated. Jirou nodded, not detaching his eyes from Fuji, just like Ryoma.

"But this is not his best move," Marui added.

"He has an upgraded version of Hakugei too, Hakuryuu," Niou said.

"But it's strange that he already used his move," Yagyuu said.

"Usually, even against me, he will wait until near the end of the game. But then, he never use Hakugei against me either," Oshitari said.

"Well, lately, Fuji is not himself," Kikumaru said. "His brother is still in the hospital."

"What? You mean he has not been released yet!" Ootori exclaimed. Kikumaru shook his head.

"His shoulder still have problems. They have to do new tests on him," Kikumaru said. He turned to Ryoma. "Ochibi-chan, Fuji is really not a bad guy, like you probably think he is. He is very nice to everybody. But you met him under bad circumstances. His younger brother has been hospitalized and Fuji is very worried about him. He blamed himself for his brother's injury. You shouldn't hold grudge against him," Kikumaru said.

Ryoma listened to Kikumaru's words, but don't say anything. She still have a hard time to believe what Kikumaru told her.

* * *

"Pouah! Ha… Ha… Ha…" Kirihara stomped on his back down next to Ryoma, panting heavily. Ryoma gave him a bottle of water.

"Here," she said.

"Thanks!" He took a large gulp. "Today, Fuji-senpai is going wild," he said. "I can't believe I lost so badly to him! He didn't even leave me a chance!"

They all looked at Fuji, who was leaving the court alone.

"He is very worried about his brother then," Oshitari said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru nodded, understanding. Ryoma looked silently at Fuji's retreating form.

* * *

"Kaa-san, I'll be going now!" Ryoma said as she put on her shoes.

"Be careful on the way!"

"Hai!"

Ryoma was going to see a friend. But before, she stopped at a convenient store to buy a magazine and the new DVD just recently released for him. Then, she went to the hospital.

* * *

_Knock knock knock! _Ryoma knocked on the door of her friend's room.

"Come in," a voice said.

Ryoma opened and stepped in.

"Ryoma!" a boy with short light brown hair happily greeted her with a smile. "Come in! And, here, take a seat!" he said, pushing to her the chair next to his bed.

"Hi Yuuta," Ryoma greeted him as she sat on the chair. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. Thanks for visiting me," Yuuta said.

"I thought that you would be bored, being stuck in a bed and not be able to play tennis," Ryoma said.

"You bet! The sooner I will be released, the better!"

Ryoma and him met at the public tennis court. Ryoma saw him performed a strange technic. He could hit a ball before it bounced to its highest point. She asked him about it. He told her about his Super Rising. Ryoma wanted to try his Super Rising. They played a match and became friends.

They often met to have a match and sometime just to talk. Ryoma discovered that he and she have many points in commun other than in tennis. First, they have each a big brother. Second, their older brother are known to be prodigy in tennis and they are their shadow. Third, they both wanted to become stronger than their brother so they no longer be their shadow. It was good to know a person who can understand their feelings.

A couple of weeks ago, on his way back home, Yuuta got hit by a car and was send to the hospital. Ryoma came to visit him to cheer him up. She knew that when you got stuck in a bed and cannot play tennis can be frustrating. They chatted for a while about any subjects. Ryoma told him what happen to her father this morning, when he got biten by Karupin again. Yuuta laughed a lot. He also told her funny moment with his family.

After a while, Yuuta kept silence. Then, he continued to speak again.

"I should have listen to you when you told me to stop using the Twist Spin Shot," Yuuta said. "If I had, maybe I would have already leaf the hospital by now."

"It's still not too late. If you just let your shoulder rest for a while, it will heal on its own. Your skeleton is still developping," Ryoma said.

Yuuta smiled.

"Thanks Ryoma," Yuuta said. "I will do as you said from now on."

"That's good to hear." She saw the time the clock on the wall was poiting. "Ah! It's already that late! I'm sorry Yuuta, but I have to go now. Kaa-san wants me to stop at the supermarket for her. Here, I brought you a magazine, the latest issue of the Montly Pro Tennis, and a DVD. My brother likes it, so I thought that you will like it too, because you two are boys," Ryoma said, grimacing.

"Hahahahaha!" Yuuta laughed. He knew that she don't like the kind of movie he likes, yet she still buy one for him. When it came to movie interests, they don't share the same tastes.

"Thanks, Ryoma. See you again then," Yuuta said.

"Bye, Yuuta. Take care of yourself," Ryoma said and left.

Yuuta picked up the DVD. Indeed, he likes this movie. He was waiting to buy one when it will be released. But because of the accident, he had to wait, deciding it will be for after he will be released from the hospital. But now, he don't need to do it anymore.

_'Ryoma is a nice girl. The one who will become her boyfriend will be a lucky one,'_ he thought.

* * *

Someone knocked his door again.

"Come in!" Yuuta said. Fuji Syuusuke stepped in. "Ah! Aniki!"

"Hello, Yuuta. How are you?" Fuji nicely asked him.

"Fine, thank you. Here, take a seat."

As Fuji sat down, he felt heat emitting from the chair.

"Hum? Someone came to see you?" Fuji asked.

"Yeah, a friend. She brought me a DVD and the last issue of Gekkan Pro Tennis too," Yuuta said.

"She? You mean a girl?" Fuji chuckled. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Yuuta had an expression of pure horror.

"No way! She's not my girlfriend! She just a very good friend," Yuuta said. "I don't want a girlfriend like her. She's not my type. Too tomboy-ish. But she plays tennis! She's very good, you know. When I'll have the chance, I will present her to you!"

"Sou ka," Fuji said. He was happy. Yuuta seemed doing well. Whoever the girl who was here before him, Fuji was grateful to her.

Fuji talked about what happened to school. He told Yuuta about the last ranking tournament, about who got into the regulars, who became the new qualified regulars. He also mentionned about a new freshman, who became a regular too, in the Seigaku team.

"What? A freshman?" Yuuta exclaimed.

"Yes. His name is Echizen," Fuji said. "He's also in my English class."

"What! A freshman in a third year class? And in _your_ class? No way!"

"Yes, he is," Fuji confirmed.

"He must be really good then," Yuuta said.

"Actually, he is better then Atobe. Speaking about Atobe, Echizen gave him the name of 'Monkey King'," Fuji said.

"Mon-… Monkey… King…?" Yuuta repeated. "P-Pfffffffff! Hahahahahahaha!"

"Atobe hates it, but the Echizen only call him by that name," Fuji said.

"Hahahaha! It fits him! Hahahahahaha!" Yuuta laughed. "But how can it be possible that he played in the ranking tournament? I thought only sophomores and seniors can participate!"

"Apparently, Yanagi and Inui saw something special in him. They had Sakaki-sensei and Ryuuzaki-sensei to make an exception for him. At first, I was skeptical too, but Yanagi's and Inui's judgement can never be wrong. After I saw him play, I understand what Yanagi and Inui meant. He is very good, very very good. He can do the Twist Serve. Even Sakaki-sensei couldn't believe that freshman's skill. Sakaki-sensei said that his Twist Serve is more acurate than a profesionnal tennis player."

"Sugoi… I want to play him too," Yuuta said.

"Well, maybe after you will return back to school."

They chatted for a while. When it was late, Fuji left.

"I must go now, Yuuta. Take good care of yourself, nee."

"Hai. Thanks for visiting me, aniki."

Fuji nodded. He stood up and walked to the door.

"And aniki," Yuuta said again. Fuji turned to him. "Don't blame yourself for my shoulder."

"Yuuta…"

In order to beat his brother, Yuuta discovered a special technique called the Twist Spin Shot. For months, he secretly trained himself on that technique. However, he overstrained his shoulder but didn't know about it. When they carried him to the hospital and examined him, that was when they discovered the condition of his shoulder. When Fuji learned about Yuuta's shoulder, he immediately knew what Yuuta did and why. He was not a tensai for nothing. Because of that, Fuji badly blamed himself for not noticing anything earlier.

"It was my own recklessness that caused my ingury. You did nothing wrong. I will be careful from now, so stop blaming yourself."

"Yuuta…"

Yuuta smiled to him. Fuji smiled back and nodded. Then he left, his heart light.


	12. They stole my bento again!

A/N: A couple of answering reviews.

**From Meg-gara:**  
Also, you might want to check your grammar/spelling. I saw a lot of typos and wrong spelling that can distract from the story.

Please tell me where and I will correct them.

**From Silverrowanraven:  
**When Fuji mentioned Echizen, why didn't Yuuta know he was talking about Ryoma?

I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you the answer now. Otherwise, the fun would be ruined. It will be for the coming up chapters. But notice this. Yuuta knows a **girl** named Ryoma. Fuji talked to Yuuta about a **boy** named Echizen. Fuji didn't tell Yuuta about that Echizen boy's first name.

* * *

From last time…

"And aniki," Yuuta said again. Fuji turned to him. "Don't blame yourself for my shoulder."

"Yuuta…"

"It was my own recklessness that caused my ingury. You did nothing wrong. I will be careful from now, so stop blaming yourself."

"Yuuta…"

Yuuta smiled to him. Fuji smiled back and nodded. Then he left, his heart light.

* * *

The next day.

Fuji was in a better mood now. His visit last night to Yuuta had relieved him. Yuuta was doing much better. And he no longer felt bad about Yuuta's injury. But, he caused a lot of troubles for people around him.

_'I have something to do to repair my bads. I have to apologize to them…'_ he thought.

Then, he spotted Kirihara, who was walking in front of him.

"Kirihara!" Fuji called him.

"Hmn?" Kirihara turned around. "Ah! Fuji-senpai! Oyahou!"

"Ohayou, Kirihara," Fuji greeted him back and came next to him.

"What is it, senpai?"

"Kirihara, I'm sorry for yesterday," Fuji said.

"Huh? Yesterday? About what?" Kirihara thought a moment. "Ah! You mean the game! Oh! No no no! It's all right! You don't have to apologize to me! I understand that you were worried about Yuuta! I would be the same if I was you! I don't blame you, senpai!"

Fuji smiled.

"Thank you, Kirihara! I very appreciate it."

"Hehe! You're welcome, senpai!" Kirihara guaffed. They walked together in the school. Kirihara saw Fuji's happy smile. "Fuji-senpai, you seem to be in a very good mood today. Does it mean that Yuuta is better now?"

Fuji nodded.

"Yes. I saw him yesterday. Apparently, he also met a girl. She brought him a magazine and his favorite DVD."

"What? Yuuta already have a girlfriend? Uso! " Kirihara stopped midway, not believing what he heard. "Yuuta, yaru (1)!" Kirihara thought a moment, then turned to Fuji. "Fuji-senpai, you got beaten by your own younger brother! He already have a girlfriend and you don't!"

Fuji chuckled, but don't bother to correct Kirihara's misinterpretation.

"Yuuta is sure lucky! I want a girlfriend too!" Kirihara continued as they entered the school.

* * *

Lunch time.

Ryoma stepped out of the school laboratory when two people snatched her through her arms.

"Ack! You again!" Ryoma yelled.

"Echizen, come and eat with us!" Marui and Niou said and they carried her away under their arms.

"Arrrrgh! You two should be charged for kidnapping and be put in prison for that!"

"Nhihihihihihi!" they grinned but don't put her down. Ryoma groaned. She knew very well that there was no point arguing with them as she let herself being (ridiculously) carried like a bag of potatoes throughout the school.

* * *

"Here you go Echizen! Sit down!" And they stomped her in a chair.

"Argh!"

"Ah! Echizen-kun, you join us again. So, you think that eating with friends is more fun too, nee?" Yukimura said.

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed heavily, but don't say anything. There was also no point arguing with Yukimura either.

"Huhuhuhu!" Yukimura chuckled.

But there was also another chuckle on her other side.

"Hm hm hm hm!"

Ryoma turned to see Fuji Syuusuke next to her.

"Fu-Fuji-… senpai…?"

"I'm sorry, Echizen-kun. This time, it was on my request that they brought you here," Fuji said.

Ryoma fidgeted on her seat, not sure what to say.

"I want to say sorry," Fuji continued.

"Huh? Sorry? What for?"

Fuji opened his eyes.

_'So he really don't remember anything,'_ Fuji thought. The he smiled. _'Well, it makes thing easier for me.'_

"The other day, I bumped into you."

"Huh?" Ryoma searched in her memories. Then, she remembered. "Ah! You were the rude guy!" Ryoma exclaimed, pointing a finger in Fuji's face.

People around spatted in their drink and choked in their foods. Who was that firs year boy who was so impolite to Fuji Syuusuke? Even Atobe, who was an educated and well mannered young man, spatted in his tea.

_'That brat…' _Atobe thought.

Fuji blinked, and blinked again.

_'It's the second time that he caught me by surprise like this,'_ Fuji thought.

"Pffffffffffffft!" Kirihara, Marui and Niou tried to restrain themselves, but they exploded anyway. "Wuahahahahahahaha!"

Normally, if someone dare to behave in that way to Fuji Syuusuke, his life at Seiyou Academy was over. But from Echizen Ryoma, it was too funny. Even Ootori and Oshitari couldn't help themselves as they laughed too. Kikumaru too was snorting. Kawamura laughed shyly. Shishido, Gakuto, Momoshiro and Kaido looked like fish out of the water. Yukimura chuckled as Sanada, Yagyuu and Tezuka sighed.

_'He really lacks of good manners,'_ Sanada and Yagyuu thought. Tezuka rubbed his forehead. It seemed to him that will he have a lot of work to do about his new underline in the Seigaku team. Ooishi knew what Tezuka was thinking and he understood too. He sighed too.

But Fuji wasn't mad at Ryoma. In fact, he thought that that boy was very interesting, and entertaining too. He was refreshing, compared to all the people who always feared him. Fuji smiled.

"Yes, I was really rude back then," Fuji said, smiling.

Ryoma blushed. She just realized that she was being rude too, for calling a senpai a "rude guy".

"Errrrr… Sorry senpai…" She hide her hands in her laps. It was also a rude thing to do, pointing into someone's face. "It-… It was my fault too… I… I should have watch where I was going…" Ryoma shyly said, squirming in her chair. "Kikumaru-senpai told me about your brother. I can understand that you weren't yourself that day. I don't blame you, Fuji-senpai… I would be the same if I were in your place…"

Fuji blinked, then smiled.

_'He's a nice boy,'_ Fuji thought, his eyes opened.

"Sou ka. Arigatou, Echizen-kun," Fuji said as he patted her head, closing his eyes.

"It's really nothing, Fuji-senpai."

Fuji smiled to her again and she smiled back at him. Fuji removed his hand from her head.

"See, I told you, Ochibi-chan. Fuji is really not a bad guy," Kikumaru winked at her.

"Hai!"

"Now, why don't we start eating now?" Yukimura proposed.

"Hai! Itadakimasu (2)!" They picked their chopstick and fork and start digging in their tray.

Ryoma unwrapped her bento, removed the cover and took an onigiri. She bite a piece and chewed. Then, her face transformed into a blissful expression, like if she was in heaven. She smiled in a cute way as she thought about her mother.

_'Kaa-san's cooking is always the best!'_ she thought as she took another bite.

Suddenly, she noticed a change in the air. She looked up to see Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro staring at her bento.

"What?" she asked.

They switched to look at her, more precisely, they were focused on her onigiri. Only Jirou, who awoke the moment Ryoma opened the cover, kept his eyes on her bento, licking his lips. Ryoma sweat dropped at their intense glares.

"What do you want?"

Drool appeared in the corner of their mouth.

"You want this?" Ryoma showed her onigiri.

Nod. Nod.

"Yadda!"

Sad and pleading stares.

"Don't even think about it!"

Intense glares.

Ryoma ignored them and took another bite.

Very intense glares.

Ryoma look at them, chewing slowly.

Very very intense glares.

She swallowed and gulped.

Puppy eyes.

Ryoma sweat dropped.

Big puppy teary eyes.

Ryoma tried to take another bite, but stopped half way.

Absolutely huge puppy eyes with big big big tears.

_'Urgh!' _Ryoma bite her lips. Then she sighed

_'Ahhh…'_

She was defeated.

"Serve yourself." She pushed her bento to them.

"ITADAKIMASU!"

Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro happily dug in her bento.

"Here Echizen, eat my foods. I haven't touch anything yet," Marui said as he pushed his tray to her. Then he returned to her bento and feasted himself with the others.

Ryoma sighed again. They got her today too. Even if they didn't steal her bento like the other day, their stares made it hard for her to enjoy her own lunch alone.

_'Rich bastards!'_ Ryoma sighed again. She resigned herself to eat what was given in exchange of her delicious bento.

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

"Forgive them, Echizen-kun," Fuji said. "They don't have bad intentions."

"I wonder…" Ryoma said, stirring the soup. "I think they just enjoy eating other people's lunch," she grunted between her teeth. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled again.

"You see, even if the foods of your bento are very common, it have more meanings than just a simple meal for them," Yukimura said. "Because their parents are always busy, they rarely spend time with them. They see more the maids and butlers then their parents. They never had anything made from their parents' hands for them. They don't know what is the love in a family. They always eat alone at home, and their meals are from the hands of a cook-chief. As for you bento, it is small to their eyes, but the foods are filled with your mother's love and your cousin's caring feelings for you. Your expression when you eat your foods is the proof of it. Even if the taste don't match the cooking of their chief, for them, it's the most delicious because of the warm feelings filled in your bento. They had always wish to have a meal cooked by their own mother's hands, but that wish cannot be granted for them. That's why they enjoyed so much eating your bento."

"Yukimura-senpai…" Ryoma slowly said.

"The first time I ate your onigiri, that was what I saw. On my own, I know how to face the pressure my family put on me, but not them. They are at lost because they think that no one can help them. They believed that there was no way for them to get out of any kind of difficulties. That's why, like Tezuka and Atobe, I became their buchou. Not only to improve their tennis play, but to show them that they can find another way to face their problems, that things are not impossible to solve in life, as long as you do everything you can and that you put your soul in what you do. Once you succeed to cross that step, you can see a new future for your live. That's our real purpose under our cover of tennis buchou."

Ryoma listened to him, not knowing what to say. Somehow, Yukimura's words touched a sensible spot inside her heart.

"Echizen-kun, you are very lucky to have such a loving family," Fuji said, a little bit of sadness in his voice.

"Because of our birth, we cannot escape from our fate," Atobe said. "As well make it easier to bear. They joined the tennis club so they can spend good times together."

"But we still aim for the highest when we go into competitions. They are times to have fun, but also times to be serious and never let our guard down," Tezuka said.

"It's good to see them so alive. They weren't like that when they first joined the club," Yukimura said.

Ryoma turned over to look at the bunch of them feasting on her bento. Kirihara and Marui were fighting over the octopus. Niou and Ootori were quarreling for the shrimps. Shishido ignored them and ate his own shrimp. Like cat after having its milk, Gakuto, Momoshiro and Kikumaru were licking their lips, where some crumbles of sweet egg were visible. Inui and Yanagi were examining a gyoza (3) while Kawamura explained them how it was made. Atobe and Kaido just simply ate the gyoza. Yagyuu, Oshitari and Jirou were enjoying the perfumed rice. Yukimura, Sanada and Tezuka decided on the onigiris again. Fuji picked the two last onigiris and gave on to Ryoma.

"Here Echizen-kun, you should enjoy your mother's cooking too," Fuji said.

"Ah… Thank you senpai…"

Then she blinked.

_'Wait. Why am I thanking him for an onigiri that originally belongs to me?' _Ryoma wondered, frowning.

Fuji chuckled. Ryoma sighed, giving up trying to understand herself and ate the onigiri.

* * *

That night…

Ryoma looked up to the stars. She remembered what Yukimura told her about the others. She also remembered Fuji's words.

_'Echizen-kun, you are very lucky to have such a loving family.'_

She turned over to watch her family. Her mother and Nanako were discussing about tomorrow meals over a cooking book. Her father was reading his newspaper. Ryoga was playing with Karupin with Karupin's favorite cat toy. Ryoma smiled.

_'Yeah, I'm very lucky to have them.'_

She always saw Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori care free, if not high on sugar. Like the others, they don't seem to have many troubles about life. In her eyes, they are but a bunch of rich rude bastards who enjoyed making fun of her. If Yukimura didn't told her, she would probably think of them like that for the rest of her life. She don't have the right to think of them in bad way like that. She have to repair her misjudgement about her them.

"Kaa-san," Ryoma said in a serious tone. Surprised, her family looked at her.

"What is it, Ryoma?" Rinko asked nicely.

She had an intuition - a mother intuition - that something very important was happening to her little girl.

"C-Can… Can…" Ryoma gulped. She blushed. And tried again. "Can you teach me how to cook please?"

_Bonk! _

Nanjirou's and Ryoga's jaw dropped onto the floor, looking stupid gaping like that. Karupin froze. Rinko and Nanako blinked, and blinked again.

_'Did I hear what I think I heard she said?'_ the family though.

Ryoma blushed again at the stare of her family.

_'Maybe I shouldn't have ask that…' _Ryoma thought. She fidgeted on her cushion, her cheeks very red, embarrassed.

Rinko smiled. Her intuition was right again.

_'It's a really good think that she went to Seiyou,'_ Rinko thought.

"Because tonight is a little bit hot, Nanako and I were planning to make some mizu yokan (4). Do you want to help?" Rinko said.

Ryoma smiled brightly.

"Hai!"

Rinko and Nanako chuckled.

After the yokan, Rinko thought about doing a cake. Ryoma asked for a strawberry short cake. She likes the cake Marui gave her. And that was how she had her first cooking lessons with her mother and with Nanako.

Ryoga, Nanjirou and Karupin, who were spying by the door frame of the kitchen, decided to return to the living room. They decided that all the males of the Echizen household needed to have an urgent meeting. Thus, the two men and one cat were sat in circle in the living room. Their eyebrow were arched in deep concentration as they tried to figure out what was wrong with their little sister/daughter/mistress. Ryoga was first one to speak.

"Say, oyajii (5), Karupin, tell me what do you think about it? While she was a normal girl everyday, she was a tomboy from the head to the toe. Every single cell of her body, every nerves of her brain were desperately tomboy-ish. But now that she is a cross-dressing as a boy at school, she is showing femininity. Is she alright?"

Nanjirou and Karupin tried to find the answer to Ryoga's question.

Think.

Think harder.

Think very hard.

Pshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

At the end, their brain gave up and smoke erupted from their head.

From the kitchen, they could hear Nanako laughed and Rinko chuckled. It seemed like Ryoma did something she shouldn't have.

"No, Ryoma. Not like this. Watch me again," they heard Rinko said.

The two men and one cat in the living room took a big breath, then sighed out loud.

_'We don't know what to think about it anymore,'_ they thought.

* * *

(1) yaru: in the sentence "Yuuta, yaru!", it means "Yuuta, you're good! You did it!"

(2) itadakimasu: an expression before eating a meal;

(3) gyoza: dumpling with meat and vegetable filling;

(4) mizu yokan: Japanese sweets made with red been, agar and water. "Mizu" means water.

(5) oyajii: old man.

A/N: I have to take a short break. The next chapter will be for next week. I need to work on Rin ("Everyday with Rin"), who is dropping far behind. As soon as I post a new chapter for Rin, I will continue this one. So, see you again in the next week for "Seiyou Academy".


	13. Ryoma first debut : Distric Preliminary

A/N: I'm sorry for the long waiting period. I was very busy for the preparation of the school new year and I was out of good ideas.

So here what I was able to put down.

* * *

School finished.

Ryoma already changed in her garment for practice. With her racket in her hands, she came in the tennis court, yawning.

"Echizen! Echizen! Yo ho!" Momoshiro called.

"Ochibi-chan! Wait up!" Kikumaru said.

"Huh?" Ryoma looked at them, running to her. "What is it, senpai?"

"Don't ask! We were looking for you, so come on!"

Kikumaru and Momoshiro took her wrists and pulled her with them to where the others were standing.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma yelled as she was dragged away by a two mad weirdos.

* * *

"Tezuka, here's Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru said, showing a panting Ryoma behind him.

"Echizen, tomorrow morning, at 8 o'clock, be here," Tezuka simply said. "And don't be late."

"Huh?" Ryoma said.

Kirihara put an arm on her left shoulder.

"Here's your grand debut, Echizen," he said.

"Huh?!"

Marui put an arm on her other shoulder.

"Do your best, right? We will be watching you!" Marui said, winking.

"Huh?! What?"

Niou shuffled her hair.

"We will be counting on you," Niou said, grinning.

"What?! What are you talking about, senpai?" Ryoma asked.

"This week-end is the District Preliminaries. You will be playing," Ootori said.

"Huh? But I thought only the qualified regulars can play in the competition," Ryoma said.

"Tezuka is giving you his place," Yukimura explained, smiling.

"Euh…" Ryoma looked at Tezuka. "Arigatou, buchou."

Tezuka nodded.

"Do your best," Tezuka said.

"Hai, buchou."

* * *

Saturday morning, 7 o'clock.

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!_

_**BONK!**_

The poor innocent alarm clock got killed, crashed into little pieces because it was only fulfilling his sole life purpose.

_'Who's the idiot who set my alarm clock?!' _Ryoma grunted.

She flopped back on her pillow and pull her blanket over her head. Soon, she was back to sleep.

-

Fithteen minutes later.

Outside of her door, Ryoga listened. No noise. Which basically meant, she went back to sleep. Ryoga slapped his forehead.

_'I knew it! Kaa-san should give up buying her a new alarm clock each time!' _Ryoga sighed.

He opened her door and entered. Karupin woke up and looked at him.

"Chibisuke, wake up," Ryoga said. Karupin turned to look at his mistress, his tail swinging.

Zzzz! Zzzz! Zzzz!

"You have a tournament today. Wake up or you'll be late."

Zzzz! Zzzz! Zzzz!

"If you don't wake up, I will eat your breakfeast at your place."

Zzzz! Zzzz! Zzzz!

Twitch twitch. Upon seeing Ryoga's eyebrow twitching, Karupin jumped down from Ryoma's bed and stood aside.

Only one option remained for Ryoga.

"**_CHIBISUKE!! WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!_**" Ryoga yelled.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Bank bank! Boom boom! Tuck! "Outch!"

Ryoma woke up. She felt from her bed. Pillow and blanket with her. In the mass of blanket, Ryoga saw a closed fist rising.

"Aniki…" Ryoma growled.

"Uhu…" Ryoga immediately scamp away, yelling. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

Ryoma chased Ryoga. Karupin calmly walked out behind them.

"Meow…" Karupin said, sighing. His mistress can be sometime very hopeless.

-

From down stair, Nanjirou, Rinko and Nanako looked up the celling, where they could hear two people running and one screaming.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

_'Probably Ryoga,' _the three people thought.

"Ah. Ryoma is awaked," Nanjirou simply said, then returned back to his newspaper.

Nanako chuckled and opened the cupboard, where she stored the first-aid kit.

"Obaa-san, maybe you should give up buying Ryoma-chan an alarm clock," Nanako said. "Ryoga is more efficient than an alarm clock." Nanako took the kit, set it on the table. She opened it and prepared the band-aid. Rinko sighed.

"I'm also starting to think it's a good idea," Rinko said.

* * *

7:59, 0.1 second before 8 o'clock.

Ryoga stopped at the gate of Seiyou, where the tennis club were waiting.

Kirihara, Marui and Niou, recognizing the person sat in the passenger seat, ran to the car.

"Oi! Echizen, just in time," Marui said, blowing a bubble gum. Ryoga remembered Ryoma telling about a senpai with pink red hair, who always have a green apple bubble gum.

_'He must be Marui Bunta, the sugar freak, like she called him,'_ Ryoga thought, smiling.

"Oi oi, Echizen, wake up," Kirihara said, poking her through the opened window.

_'And he must be Kirihara Akaya, the spider head boy. Well, it's true that his hair looked like a spider,'_ Ryoga thought.

Ryoga got out of the car.

"Yo! Are you Seiyou tennis club?" Ryoga greeted them.

"Hmn!" Kirihara, Marui and Niou nodded.

"And you are?" Yukimura asked.

Ryoga examined the blue hair teenager, blinking. And blinked again. Delicate features. Soft voice. Gentle eye. Exactly like the angel in his mother's favorite painting. But his chest is flat. This person cannot be a girl.

_'So this is the pretty-girl boy, Yukimura Seiichi. I understand what Chibisuke meant by "He looks like a pretty girl" now.' _Ryoga silently laughed.

"Echizen Ryoga, Ryoma's big brother. Yoroshiku."

"Yoroshiku."

"Hey, shouldn't we wake Echizen?" Oshitari asked.

"Hehe! He's cute when he's sleeping," Ootori said.

"Don't say that if Chibisuke is awake. You will regret it," Ryoga said as he moved to the passenger seat. "I have to bring Chibisuke here. Otherwise, this sleepy head would run straight into an electric pole while walking," Ryoga continued as he unbuckled Ryoma's security belt. "Yo, Chibisuke. You're here!"

"Hmm…? Yaaaaaaaawwwn!" Ryoga rubbed her eyes as she yawned. She saw the boys looking at her. "Oh? Senpai-tachi! What are you doing in my bedroom?" Ryoma asked.

Ryoga, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori felt in anime-style.

"WAKE UP!!" they yelled at her. Ryoma plugged her ears.

"Urgh!"

Yukimura chuckled.

"Echizen, this is not your bedroom. This is the school," Yukimura said.

"Huh?" Ryoma look out, seeing the school entrance gate. "Ah. You're right."

Ryoga, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori sighed.

"Tezuka, maybe you should have tell Ochibi-chan to be on time **_AND _**be awake," Kikumaru said. Tezuka nodded.

"Maybe I should have," Tezuka said. Fuji chuckled.

"Anyway, do your best, Chibisuke!" Ryoga said, then left.

* * *

Kakimori Tennis Garden.

Seiyou qualified regulars appearance wasn't unoticed. Everybody watched them walking in the Garden. They were famous, more famous then their predecessors. They came from Seiyou Academy. They are good looking. And they are very good - excellent - tennis players.

Their fans went wild.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Fuji-sama!!"

"Atobe-sama, I love you!"

"I will be your wife in the future, Yukimura!"

The usual thing each time they appeared in public.

But today, something was different. And that "something", was "something" hung on Kabaji's shoulder. Usually, it was only a curly light brown hair head, by the name of Jirou, who occupied Kabaji's shoulder, snoring. But today, there was also another person on Kabaji's shoulder, who was also snoring like Jirou. That new "something" looked like a short boy with a white cap.

It was strange, the sight of Kabaji with two people snoring on his shoulders. For Jirou, it was normal. But what about that new guy?

That white cap guy wore Seiyou qualified regular uniform, but he looked like to be only a first year.

"Seiyou is fearful as ever," someone said.

"To have a first year in their qualified regulars rang… He must be something…"

People agreed with them.

* * *

But now, back to the main problem.

"Echizen, we are starting now. Wake up," Tezuka said.

"Hai buchou…" Ryoma answered. She opened her eyes.

Looked around.

And closed them back.

Then, she joined Jirou in his snoring concerto again.

Tezuka remained impassive, but Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori sweat dropped.

_'That boy… How can we wake him up?'_ they wondered.

As if up there in the sky, kami-sama heard them, kami send them help.

From inside Ryoma's bag, her cellphone rang.

"Huh?" Kirihara, who was holding Ryoma's bag, put in down and searched for the cellphone. He found it, a silver gray flap cellphone with a Karupine-like kitty keychain as ornament. "It's Echizen's cellphone."

"Yo, Kirihara. You cannot answer people's cellphone like that," Marui said.

"Yeah, well. Considering the actual situation, Echizen won't answer it either," Niou said.

"Maybe it's important. We can let him know the message later," Ootori said.

"Ah. That's right," Marui said. "Pick it up!" he told Kirihara.

Kirihara flipped open the cellphone.

"Moshi moshi (1)."

"Hey! You're not Chibisuke!" Ryoga said on the other end of the line.

"That's Echizen's big brother," Kirihara told the others. They stuck closer to the cellphone to listen. "No, it's not Echizen. It's Kirihara," Kirihara said.

". . ." Ryoga thought a moment. "Let me guess. Chibisuke is still sleeping."

"Bingo!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori answered in one voice. Ryoga slapped his forehead.

"Arrrrrrgh! I knew it! Put me on that sleepy head's ear."

"Yokai!" Kirihara saluted in a soldier mode and did what he was told. "Here you are," he told Ryoga.

"Ahem," Ryoga cleared his throat. He took a deep breath.

"**_CHIBISUKE, WAKE UP!!_**" Ryoga yelled. The cellphone flopped in the air before it dropped in Kirihara's hands again. All the people around could hear him.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma screamed as she stumbled down from Kabaji's shoulder. Kabaji grabbed her by the neck of her shirt so she won't hit the ground.

"What the hell do you want, aniki!!" Ryoma yelled to the cellphone Kirihara was holding in front of her.

"Chibisuke, I can't believe that you are still sleeping at a time like this…" Ryoga stopped. Blink. "No, wait. It is expected from you to be sleeping at a time like this. Forget what I said. Now listen to me, Chibisuke. Your sleepy head forgot to bring your bento with you. Chibisuke, if you don't win your game, I won't bring you your bento and I will even _**EAT**_ it," Ryoga emphasized on the "EAT". "Oh! And you know what?! Kaa-san made you sakura monakas (2). I will also _EAT_ them if you don't win!"

"WHAT?! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! " Ryoma growled. She jumped on Kirihara and the two of them stumbled on the ground.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Ryoma straddled Kirihara. She grabbed Kirihara's hand, the one with the cellphone, and squeezed very very hard. And she madly shook it, as if she was trying to strangle Ryoga.

"Don't you even THINK about eating _MY _bento and **_MY _**monakas!! I'm going to win and I'm going to kill you after that, aniki!! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Ryoma stood up from Kirihara, grabbed her bag and went to search for her first opponent.

"Who's the guy I'm playing against?! I'm going to kill him now!" Ryoma grunted.

_'Whoever his opponent will be, I already pity him,' _Oshitari, Shishido and Gakuto thought.

Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu sighed. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

Marui, Niou, Ootori looked down at Kirihara, who was (maybe) dead, lying on the ground. His head knocked the ground after all.

"Hara hara hara…" Kirihara trailed, eyes swirling.

"Ochibi-chan is sure scary went it comes to food," nodded, agreeing.

"Ii data… So it's confirmed now. You can corrupt Echizen with foods. This will be a very useful thing to know for the future," Inui said as he scribbled in his notebook. Kikumaru, Marui, Niou and Ootori swaet dropped.

"At least, we are sure that he won't let his opponent win his game," Yanagi said.

* * *

(1) moshi moshi: the way to answer phone in Japan.

(2) monaka: Japanese sweet made of beans filling sandwiches. The sandwiches can be of many shape. Here, it's sakura flower shape.

A/N: I'm running out of good ideas. My updates will be slower now, not one chapter per day for a while. I will at least try to post a minimum of one chapter per week. Sorry for this white paper syndrome for a while.


	14. Ryoma vs Ibu Shinji part 1: Two genius

Ryoma faced her opponent, one eyebrow raised.

_'What's the heck with this guy?'_ she wondered. He hasn't stop mumbling from the moment they entered the court.

"You're Echizen Ryoma, right? I'm Ibu Shinji, Fudomine, second year, your opponent. Yoroshiku. You're pretty short for a boy. Are you even a boy? Ah. But you're completely flat. So you must be a boy. You have a pretty face, but you're uncute."

Twitch twitch. Ryoma's eyebrows twitched and veins popped around her head.

"That's it. You're a pretty uncute boy. Not to mention skinny. Do you eat enough? Maybe you're short because you don't eat enough. Do you know that it's not good for your health if you don't eat enough? If not, you won't have enough energy to play tennis. But why are you playing tennis when you're so short and skinny? A short skinny boy like you is not a challenge for anybody. Then how come you're playing tennis again? And how come you're Seiyou qualified regular? I'm surprised that they even let a short boy like you in their team. Did you bride them or blackmail them so they let you play? No wait. They have money, so you can't bride them. Then you must have threat them or menace them. That's it. It must be that! You have threaten them! And to think that you're only a first year. You're a first year, right? You're short, so you're a first year. You know, Echizen-kun, it's not right to threat your senpais. You must have more respect for your senpais. What an unconventional short first year. And why am I playing you? Why did Tachibana made me play against a first year? Against a short first year? I was supposed to face the tensai Fuji Syuusuke. You're not Fuji Syuusuke. You're only a short, pretty face uncute boy, who threaten his senpais to let you play. Why am I playing you again? It's so boring. Playing against a short pretty face uncute boy."

By now, Ryoma have a pretty humongous number of red veines popping and twitching in the air.

_'What a prick!' _she thought. He can say what he wanted about her, EXCEPT calling her "short". But that dimwit didn't just call her "short" one time, but over ten times.

"And here I thought that Ibu was the only one of his kind. There is actually someone as bizarre as him in this world," Kamio Akira, from Fudomine, said. "One is a rambling freak and the other is an living brick wall."

Tachibana Kippei, Fudomine buchou, sighed. Ibu was an incredible talented tennis player, even if he was only a second year. But he had a habit to always mumble and ramble without realizing that other people can hear him.

_'I better stop him before this continues until tomorrow,' _Tachibana thought.

"Shinji!" Tachibana ordered.

"Sumason (1)." Ibu immediately stopped.

"Echizen!" Tezuka called.

"Hai," Ryoma answered.

In the corner of Seiyou bench, Kikumaru and Momoshiro snirkered. Kaido "Fssssssssh!" Kawamura and Ooishi sweat dropped. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were clutching their mouth and stomach, desperately trying to refrain themselves from laughing out loud. It was too funny to watch Ryoma with that Ibu Shinji. But alas, their laugh got the best of them.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

After knowing who served first, Ibu and Ryoma went to their respective place on the court.

"Ibu Shinji, Fudomine, against Echizen Ryoma, Seiyou. On set match. Echizen to serve," the referee called.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Service. Twist Serve. Mark.

"15-love."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" the crowd was surprised.

"What an impressive service!" someone said.

"That boy, he's good!" someone else added. His companions agreed with him.

_'What?' _Ibu got caught by surprised.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Service. Twist Serve. Mark.

"30-love."

Ibu dodged the ball again.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Service. Twist Serve. Mark.

"40-love."

Ibu observed Ryoma.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Service. Twist Serve. Mark.

"1-love. Echizen."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" the crowd cheered and applauded.

* * *

Seiyou bench.

Yukimura smiled, a finger on his lips.

"Very good, Echizen-kun."

"By wining the first point in lest than one minute, Echizen turns the crowd into his favor," Yagyuu said. Yanagi, Inui and Oshitari nodded.

"But why did he already use his Twist Serve?" Gakuto asked.

"Normally, he should judge his opponent's play style before starting his own game," Shishido said.

"It's reckless to let your opponent knows of his special technique from the beginning of the game," Oshitari said.

"Hihihihihi!" Marui laughed. "I think that Echizen got pissed off because he got called "short" by Fudomine's Ibu over ten times. Hahahahahahaha!"

"So he makes Ibu paid a little bit!" Niou added.

"It must be that!" Kirihara said.

"P-Pffffff!" Ootori snickered.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Marui, Niou, Kirihara and Ootori laughed.

Another huge vein popped on Ryoma's head as she glared menacingly at Marui.

_'Who give you the right to call me "short" you too, prick!'_ her eyes were saying.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Marui stifled but still laughed.

"Hmnmnmnmnmnmnmn!"

* * *

Fudomine bench.

"That first year, he's good!" Kamio said. His team mated nodded.

Tachibana smiled.

"You're right, he is good. But Ibu, you know can do as good as him, right?" Tachibana said, smiling again as he watched Ibu.

.

"Service. Ibu!"

Bounce bounce bounce. Eyes fixed on Ryoma.

Bounce bounce bounce. Ryoma kept her eyes on Ibu.

Bounce bounce bounce. Service. Hit. Mark.

_'What?' _Ryoma got caught by surprised.

"15-love."

.

Tachibana smirked.

.

Bounce bounce bounce. Service. Hit. Mark.

"30-love."

Ryoma watched Ibu, examining him. Ibu returned her glare, not disturbed.

.

Fudomine bench.

"That's the way, Ibu! Way to go, Kick Serve!" Kamio cheered.

.

Seiyou bench.

"Kick…?" Kikumaru started.

"Serve…?" Gakuto finished.

"But it looks exactly like Echizen's Twist Serve!" Kirihara said. Marui and Niou nodded, agreeing with him.

"It's the same thing, but Kick Serve is the modern name of the Twist Serve," Yanagi said.

"I would even say that Echizen's Twist Serve has more spins that Inu's Kick Serve. But to think that Fudomine also has someone who can perform that Serve too… They are good," Inui said.

"It's normal," Atobe said, appearing between Kirihara and Marui.

"What to you mean, Atobe?" Ootori said.

"Tachibana Kippei. I thought I was mistaken the moment we met Fudomine, but I wasn't. It's really him," Atobe said, eyes fixed on the smirking Tachibana. "He is a national rank player. I didn't recognize him, because before, he wore his hair blond and long, not black and short like now. He was called the Lion of Kyuushuu. Having a national player as buchou and manager, Fudomine must be excellent players too."

"Tachibana Kippei. Kyuushuu's 2nd best player, after Senri Chitose. I heard that he quicked tennis after he caused a severe injury to Senri Chitose, who had been send hospitalized. We haven't hear anything about him since then. Until today. But it seems like he is back into tennis again," Inui said.

.

"40-love."

Ryoma smirked.

_'Not bad!'_ she thought. Like her, Ibu can do the Twist Serve, or the Kick Serve like Fudomine called it.

Kick Serve!

Ryoma made a step back, body half bend to the side and hit from underneath to where the ball bounce. The ball landed in Ibu's court side.

"15-40."

.

"What?" Kamio exclaimed, standing from his seat. "He returns Kamio's Kick Serve!"

"Uso!" his team mates said.

"Ibu and Echizen know to serve a Kick Serve, so they must know how to return it too," Tachibana said.

"Ah. It's logical," Kamio said.

* * *

"1-all."

Ryoma and Ibu were equal now. But Ibu can feel something else from Ryoma.

"Ano saa, you're not playing seriously against me, aren't you? I can feel it… You're still hiding something… Definitely…" Ibu mumbled.

Ryoma's eyes widen, surprised that he could tell. She smirked.

"You're good to be able to tell so soon," she said, smiling cockyly. "Then let's get serious." She switched her racket from the right hand to the left.

"What?" someone in the crowd said.

"Hi-… Hidarikiki (3)?"

"He's… That boy… He's a lefty!"

"But until now, he played with he right hand…"

"And he's already very good with his right hand…"

.

Fudomine bench.

Kamio's eyes were wide opened, a little bit scared.

"That freshman… He's a left hand…" he trailed.

"But during Seiyou's first game against Gyokurin, Echizen was using only his right hand…" Kamio's team mate said, gulping.

Cold sweat ran down their face.

.

Seiyou bench.

"Hmn. It's true that when we played against Gyokurin, Echizen only used his right hand," Yukimura said.

"People couldn't guess that Echizen is a left hand," Yagyuu said.

"So it's normal that they are surprised," Oshitari said.

"Well, they shouldn't have underestimate us because we have a freshman in the team," Marui said. Niou and Ootori nodded, agreeing with him.

"But like Echizen stated, that Ibu Shinji is very good," Inui said.

"He could tell that Echizen wasn't a right hand player only in the first set of the game," Yanagi said.

"More than that," Ootori added. "That Ibu Shinji… His tennis sense can rival with Fuji's tensai play style."

Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Shishido and Gakuto nodded.

Fuji only smiled, but kept his eyes on the court, where Ryoma and Ibu were standing.

* * *

"Southpaw? Hmm…" Ibu trailed. He examined Ryoma, no expression on his face. Ryoma smiled again.

"From now, the real game starts," Ryoma said.

* * *

(1) sumason: from "Sumimasen", means "I'm sorry". "Sumason" is a particular way to say "Sorry" from Ibu Shinji.

(2) ano saa: in this case, equivalent to "About something".

(3) hidarikiki: a left hand person.


	15. Ryoma vs Ibu Shinji part 2: Spotted Spot

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. I appreciate that you took your time to tell me what you think of my story. They make me want to work harder. Also thank you for pointing out the weaknesses of my story. I will try to correct them. Thank you very much.

By the way, special treat. Two chapters for you!

Enjoy!

* * *

From last time…

"Southpaw? Hmm…" Ibu trailed. He examined Ryoma, no expression on his face. Ryoma smiled again.

"From now, the real game starts," Ryoma said.

* * *

Tachibana watched the rally between Ryoma and Ibu. It has been more than twenty minutes, but the game was far from finishing soon. Tachibana was worried.

_'Something's wrong,' _he thought, focusing on Ibu. _'Shinji, what is happening?'_

Ibu was breathing hard and he was sweating heavily.

_'Masaka! Don't tell me that Shinji is being pushed hard?'_

But Tachibana must admitted the truth of what he was seing.

.

_'He is strong. It is much harder than I expect,'_ Ibu thought.

"40-love."

Ryoma smirked.

_'I must find another way!' _Ibu reflected a moment.

"4-2. Echizen leads."

_'There is one thing left I can do, but_…_' _Ibu watched Ryoma on the receiver position.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Serve.

.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Tachibana focused on Ibu's face.

_'What? Shinji! You're not using it…? It's…'_

Hit. Hit. Hit.

_'There is one thing left I can do, even if it's not yet completed. It's the only way for me now,' _Ibu thought and returned Ryoma's ball.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

_'Strange. His play style is completely different from before,'_ Ryoma noticed.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Ibu observed Ryoma again before launching. His ball came to her left side. Ryoma ran to the left court and prepared to return. She swung her arm and…!

_'What?'  
_

"15-love."_  
_

_'What happened? For one second, my arm freezes…' _Ryoma examined her arm. It was back to normal.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Ibu watched Ryoma, more specifically her left arm. Ryoma ran to the direction of the ball, her racket out. But it happened again.

_'Ah! What! My arm freezes again!'_

"30-love."

Ryoma watched her arm, made two tree swings to test her arm again. It was back to normal.

Ibu smirked and launched.

.

"Huh? What's wrong with Echizen?" Kirihara asked.

"That's two points straight for Fudomine," Momoshiro said.

"For a slip of second, it looks like Ochibi-chan's arms freezes," Kikumaru said. Marui, Niou and Gakuto nodded.

.

"4-3."

.

"What a strange attack…" Fuji said.

"What do you mean, Fuji-senpai?" Shishido asked.

"Ibu Shinji has not stop alternating topspin and slice shots for while," Fuji elaborated.

_'Topspin and slices?' _Inui wondered.

They observed more closely Ibu's attack.

Top. Slice. Top.

"Ah! It's true!" Kirihara said.

.

"What is Ibu is doing, Tachibana?" Kamio asked.

"It's a new technique Shinji just recently developed called Spot," Tachibana said. "Ibu can make the opponent's arm freezes for a second. However, the chance of success of this technique is still very low. Shinji still cannot know when the numb happenes. But he is been pushed by the first year to use it. He must be really in a desperate situation to use this technique now."

Fudomine looked at Ibu.

Top. Slice. Top. Mark.

"4-all."

_'I can feel it now, Echizen-kun. I can feel it when your arm is numb!'_ Ibu smiled. Tachibana saw his smile.

"It seems that he completed the Spot now," Tachibana said, smiling.

_'You did well, Shinji!'_

.

_'Again? What happened?' _Ryoma was frustrated because she don't understand what was wrong with her arm.

.

"Echizen-kun… It looks hard on him," Kawamura said in a worried tone. Ooishi nodded.

.

_'Calm down. This is not the time to loose concentration,' _Ryoma told herself. She looked over at Ibu, who was also looking at her. _'I must find out what he did to me!'_

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Service.

_'Echizen-kun, I'm sorry. But this game is mine!'_

Top. Slice. Top.

Top. Slice. Top.

_'Hum? From the fourth game, he has been alternating topspin and slice shots non-stop,'_ Ryoma analysed.

Top. Slice. Top.

_'Ah! I remember now! By alternating topspin and slices, you can put pressure on the opponent's arm. And the arm will be numb for…! Ah!'_

Ryoma felt her upper arm froze. If her arm cannot move, then she will move something else to return the ball.

_'Arrrgh! I'm not giving up!' _Ryoma grinded her teeth and pivoted on her foot.

_'It's useless, Echizen! When your arm is numb, you also lost your grip power!'_ Ibu smiled.

Ryoma's racket slipped from her hand. It flew to the net pole, got knocked and snapped in two.

To the horror of Seiyou and Fudomine, they saw the half snapped racket rebounded at Ryoma and hit her on her face.

"Ahhhh!" Ryoma yelled. She covered her left eye, from where people could see blood flooding out.

"Echizen!"

"Echizen!"

"Ochibi!"

"Echizen-kun!"

Her team mates worried for her.

"Time-out!" Yukimura called.

"Echizen, come here!" Sanada ordered.

Kirihara and Marui, who rushed to her with Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru, helped her to get to the bench.

"Sit down, Echizen," Ooishi said as Kawamura gave him the first-aid kit. With Oshitari's helped, Ooishi cleaned her wound and tried to stop the bleeding.

.

Fudomine bench.

"Hide (1)…" Ishida said. Sakurai, Uchimura and Mori nodded.

"If Echizen cannot play and forfeit, then Ibu will win this game," Kamio said.

"But Shinji won't be happy if he win like that," Tachibana said as he watched Ibu. Ibu was leaned against a wall, arms crossed, a not happy expression on his face.

Kamio nodded, agreeing with Tachibana.

.

Meanwhile, Momoshiro and Shishido picked up her snapped racket.

"Fiuu! This is bad!" Momoshiro said as he picked up one broken piece, the frame.

"Hmm. There is no point repairing this racket," Shishido said as he examined the second broken piece, the handle.

"Ooishi, Oshitari, how is it?" Sakaki-coach asked.

Ooishi shook his head.

"The bleeding won't stop," Oshitari said.

Momoshiro and Shishido returned back, the broken racket in their hands.

"Echizen, we will put your racket away," Momoshiro said.

"Momo-senpai, also take the spare racket out for me, please," Ryoma said.

"What?" Ooishi and Gakuto yelled. They all looked at her.

"Echizen, it's better not to force yourself," Oshitari said.

"It's too much a big handicap," Inui said.

"But…!"

"Echizen-kun, you still want to play like this?" the referee asked.

"Hai."

"I cannot let you continue unless the bleeding stop. I understand that it's frustrating after coming so far. But it's better if you give up."

Ryoma chewed her lips, not satisfied. She stood up, rubbed her wound with her shirt. The bleeding stopped.

"It stopped now. So I can continue to play, right?" Ryoma said. She took the referee out guard.

"Ah! But…!"

"Echizen, come here!" Ryuzaki-sensei said.

Ryoma walked to her.

"You're being stubborn," Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"Is it bad?" Ryoma retorted.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

_'Liar!' _her team mates thought. Ryuzaki-sensei smirked.

"Ooishi, bring me the first-aid kit!"

"Ah? Hai, sensei." Ooishi rushed to her with the kit.

"It will hurt a moment, Echizen," Ryuzaki said as she pressed against Ryoma's wound.

"Ite (2)!" Ryoma yelped.

"I told you so."

Ryoma grunted.

After a couple of minutes, Ryuzaki-sensei finished. Ryoma tapped the pad on her left eye.

"Ah! The bleeding stopped!"

"Ah? But earlier, it was flooding like crazy!" Ooishi said.

"This will temporary stop the bleeding, for a maximum of fifteen minutes," Ryuzaki-sensei said.

Ryoma nodded, understanding, and returned to the referee.

"It stopped now. So can I play, right?"

The referee got caught off guard again.

"I know I told you that you can play if the bleeding stop, but…" He scared of her.

_'What a scary guy!'_ the referee and her team mates thought.

Momoshiro came running to her.

"Echizen, here's your spare racket," he said, the racket in his hand.

"Thank you, Momo-senpai," Ryoma said. She was going to take the racket when Ooishi stepped in front of Momoshiro.

"Ooishi-senpai…"

Clearly, he refused to let her continue to play.

All the people around looked at Ooishi and Ryoma.

Someone took the racket from Momoshiro's hand and came in front of Ryoma.

"Ten minutes. If you cannot make it in ten minutes, then you will forfeit the game. Understand?" Tezuka said as he handed her her racket.

"Tezuka!" Ooishi protested, but Ryoma took the racket from Tezuka's hand.

"That will be more than enough," she said. Ooishi sighed.

_'He is too stubborn,' _Ooishi thought.

"Ah!" Ryoma exclaimed as someone put something on her head. She touched her head to feel her cap. She opened her eyes to see Kaido in front of her.

"Kaido-senpai?"

"Go wild," he told her. Ryoma smiled.

"Hai!"

"Ooishi, do you really think that Ochibi-chan will accept to end his game like that?" Kikumaru said.

"I know, but…"

"Just wait and see," Oshitari said. They turned to see her stepped back in the court.

* * *

(1) hide: from "hidoi", which means "It's horrible";

(2) ite: from "itai", means "It hurts!";


	16. Ryoma vs Ibu Shinji part 3: 10 minutes

From last time…

"Ooishi, do you really think that Ochibi-chan will accept to end his game like that?" Kikumaru said.

"I know, but…"

"Just wait and see," Oshitari said. They turned to see her stepped back in the court.

* * *

"Sorry for the commotion," Ryoma said to Ibu. "Let's finish this game now."

"Echizen to serve!" the referee called.

Mark. Mark. Mark.

"5-4. Echizen!"

"Ah!" the crowd exclaimed, a cold sweat ran down their neck.

_'__His speed_…_ has increased…' _Ibu watched Ryoma as he was scared. _'What kind of monster is he?'_

_.  
_

"Less than one minute… He wins a point in less than one minute again…"

The spectators gulped.

.

Meanwhile, in Seiyou corner, Ryoma's team mates smiled.

"See," Oshitari told Ooishi. Ooishi nodded, still not believing what he just saw.

"Ochibi-chan is much stronger than during the ranking tournament, isn't he?" Kikumaru said.

"We have a lot of work to do if we don't want to be ran over by him," Marui said. Kirihara, Niou, Ootori, Shishido and Momoshiro nodded.

.

Service. Top Hit. Run. Slice. Return. Run.

"Hey! I'm really getting annoy with your alternated topspin and slice pattern now!" Ryoma said cockily, smiling.

_'What?' _Ibu watched a her. _'He figures it out!'_

Ryoma smirked.

.

"Ah! I remember now!" Inui said. "By alternating topspin and slice shots, you can freeze your opponent's arm."

Yanagi frowned.

"Spot. It's called the a spot, I think," Yanagi said.

"Spot?" Gakuto asked.

"Returningg slices and topspin continuously, the muscles of your arm kept contracting until it numbs," Yanagi developed. "Even though it's only momentary, it's what it takes for Fudomine's Ibu to mark a ball."

"Oohhhh…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Momoshiro said, admiration in their voice.

"To think that a second year have such a wonderful technique…" Sanada said.

"They are good, very good," Yukimura finished.

Fuji smiled. He opened his eyes and fixed them on Ryoma.

_'But Echizen-kun, you know how to face it, right?'_

He saw her mysterious smile.

.

"Numbing my arm, huh?" Ryoma said again.

_'What? He figures out my Spot!' _Ibu thought.

Hit. Top. Return. Slice.

"You won't be able to do it anymore!"

Return.

"Have you ever hear of Nitouryou (1) before?"

Top.

Switch! Left to right.

Return.

"Ah!" Ibu gasped at her.

.

Seiyou bench.

"Way to go, Echizen!" Kirihara, Kikumaru and Momoshiro cheered.

"I see," Oshitari smiled.

"Nitouryou, right?" Inui mumbled as he scribbled in his notebook.

"I see. By switching his racket from one hand to another, Echizen avoid burdening his muscles," Yanagi analysed. "Thus, his arm won't numb."

"It's a good thing that our freshman is ambidextrous," Yagyuu said.

Yukimura turned to look at him. Then, he smiled. Yagyuu, who is normally cold to other people and don't easily welcome them to him, just called Echizen "our freshman" without realizing what he was doing.

.

Fudomine bench.

"Nitouryou?" Kamiro repeated.

"But how can he anticipated in which direction the ball would come and change his racket beforehand?" Ishida asked.

Tachibana watched Ryoma. Then it strucked him.

_'Slipt Step on one foot…?' _Tachibana gulped. _'I see. By jumping from one foot to another, he can rapidly change his racket. But what an incredible reflex sense!'_

.

Right. Left. Right.

Hit. Return. Hit. Return. Hit. Return.

.

Seiyou bench.

"Hey! Why Ibu don't hit topspin anymore, but slice only?" Gakuto said.

"It's not that he don't want to. He cannot," Jirou answered.

"Ah! Jirou-senpai! You're awake!" Momoshiro yelped.

"But what do you mean he cannot hit topspin?" Hiyoshi asked.

"Echizen is aiming between Ibu's feet and very low ball," Kaido answered.

They turned to look at Ibu.

Low ball. Low ball. Low ball.

"Ah! You're right!" Kirihara said.

"It's the same thing as the time Echizen played against you, Kaido!" Ootori said.

"Topspin can only be done if the ball came directly to you. But since the balls are low, you can only do slices," Yagyuu explained.

"So it means…" Momoshiro started.

"…that Ochibi-chan seals the Spot," Kikumaru finished.

"Exactely," Inui said.

.

Left. Right. Left.

"15-love. Echizen."

_'I'm not giving up!' _Ibu returned a shot.

Right. Left. Right.

"30-love."

_'If Echizen keeps this pace, maybe he can make it,' _Inui thought as he watched his stopwatch.

"Oh no! Echizen!" Ooishi stood up.

Ryoma's eye was bleeding again, her eye pad red.

Left. Right. Left return. Mark.

"30-15."

_'Echizen's power is weakening,' _Tezuka observed.

"30-all." Ibu marked again.

_'Echizen…'_ Fuji frowned, a little bit worry.

"40-30."

Inui watched his stopwatch again. Thirty seconds before the ten minutes limited.

_'Just one ball!' _Ryoma thought.

She jumped and serve a Twist…

_'Twist Serve!' _Ibu immediately took position to receive the serve and returned it.

Ryoma hit. The ball landed in front of Ibu and spin on itself. Ibu moved half a step back, bend his body to the left, raised his racket and…

The ball bounced to the left side and directly in Ibu's left hand.

_'Twist Smash…'_

"6-4. Game set. Echizen."

"Wohooooooooooooooooooooo!" the crowd cheered.

Inui watched his watch. 1.2 second before ten minutes. He smiled.

_'Well done, Echizen,' _he thought as he watched Ryoma.

The poor girl was being glomped by Kikumaru and Marui, choking her. Kirihara, Momoshiro, Niou and Ootori danced in circle around her, making her went dizzy. Not to mention all the cheering, which she qualified of noisy. Couldn't they have a little bit more consideration for her? Like forgetting her existence in this world and leave her in peace alone for example? And not testing her as their new human stuffed toy? She was ingured after all.

"Seiyou Academy, champion of the District Preliminaries. Fudomine, second. We wish to see you again for the Prefectural Tournament. Bow," the referee said.

Fudomine and Seiyou bowed.

"Arigatou gozaimashita (2)," they said.

Fudomine and Seiyou exchanged their last salutations, talking to eachother.

"See you again for the Prefectural," Ishida said.

"Aa. Certainly," Ooishi answered.

"Yo, Mamushi!" Kamio called Kaido.

"Uruse, Rhythm yaro," Kaido said.

Tachibana and Tezuka shook hand.

"Let's have a good match again," Tachibana said.

"Aa," Tezuka answered.

"Echizen-kun," Ibu stopped Ryoma. "Sorry for your eye. It wasn't my intention to hurt you. But I must thank you. You got me complete my Spot. But it's you who should be more careful and not let yourself be hit. Ah! I know it know. You did it in purpose! To gain people's attention. It must be that! What a sneaky short brat…"

"Shinji!" Tachibana snapped.

"Sumason!"

_'Ahou (3)!' _Ryoma thought.

* * *

Ryoga brought Ryoma her bento. When he saw her eye pad, he nearly kill all the people around him. Ryoma launched a ball in his face and knocked him out. After what, she explained to the twitching body on the ground what happened. Ryoma soon forgot about him and watched in delight her bento box. Her bento was _huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge_ today, ten time bigger than usually.

_'I love you kaa-san, Nanako-chan!' _Ryoma thought, stars filling her eyes. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori watched her bento, drooling. Jirou, awake, crouched near it, was humming it delicious smell.

"Echizen, are you going to eat all that by yourself alone?" Kirihara asked, envious.

"Of course!" Ryoma replied.

"Actually, Chibisuke, kaa-san and Nanako-chan made it for your friends too, not for you alone. She thought that you will be starving after your matches. So Nanako and she made a picnic for all of you," Ryoga said.

"Ah! Really!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori exclaimed excitedly. They rushed over the big bento box, unwrapped everything and started to dig in.

"Hey you! Don't eat my share!" Ryoma rushed.

* * *

They choose a place under a tree and have a picnic with the bento Ryoma's mother made for them. This time, there was no need to fight for Ryoma's food because there was enought for everybody. Ryoga also ate with them, sat next to Ryoma. He had Inui and Yanagi told him about Ryoma's match.

_Tit tit tit! Tit tit tit! Tit tit tit!_

Fuji's cellphone rang.

_'Huh?'_

Fuji stood up and walked away to answer it.

"Moshi moshi."

"Aniki, it's me," Yuuta said on the other line.

"Yuuta!" Fuji said in a bright voice.

"I just want to let you know. I will be back to school next week," Yuuta said.

Fuji smiled bigger, his eyes opened.

"I'm very happy to learn it. Thank you for letting me know," Fuji said.

"Then see you again next week," Yuuta said.

"Hmn!"

Fuji flipped his cellphone closed, happy, very happy. Before, Yuuta didn't speak a lot to him. But lately, he was a little bit more opened to him. In fact, Yuuta has been like that since he was hospitalized. And now, Yuuta called him on his own. Fuji don't know what happened to Yuuta, but he was happy of the change.

.

In the hospital.

Yuuta put down the phone, smiling.

* * *

Flashback

"You know, Yuuta, maybe it's hard to believe, but I think that your brother really cares for you," Ryoma told him. "For example, aniki. He is noisy, stupid, air head, show off, a messed up brain jerk and really he enjoyed making fun of me. But I also know that he cares a lot for me, though he is still very annoying. I guess that's the way how big brother shows concern for younger siblings. Aniki is sometime embarrassing, but he's always there for me. Maybe your brother is the same as my brother too. You should try to open to your big brother a little bit more. Maybe you will discover a new aspect of him that you don't know."

End flashback

* * *

_'Ryoma was right. Aniki seemed very happy to receive my call,'_ Yuuta thought, smiling again. He looked outside his window. _'I'm sorry for all the troubles I caused to you, aniki. I will try to amend them from now on.'_

* * *

Fuji returned to the other, a very obviously big smile on his face. A real happy smile and not just his normal or fake smile.

"Fujiko, you seem to be very happy. Good news?" Kikumaru asked. He came to see what Fuji.

"Yes. Yuuta will be back to school next week," Fuji said.

"Ah sou ka! I'm very happy for you then," Kikumaru said sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm very happy myself too," Fuji said as he sat down with the others.

Kikumaru wasn't the only one who noticed Fuji's happiness.

"Fuji-senpai, you're smiling. And not your sadistic smile!" Kirihara said.

_Whack!_

Marui hit him on the head.

"Itai!" Kirihara yelped, rubbing his sore spot.

"Don't say that, you baka (4)! You want to die so soon?"

"Yikes! I forgot!" Kirihara immediately regretted what he said. He looked at Fuji with fearful eyes. But Fuji only laughed.

"It's alright. Don't worry," Fuji said, smiling.

"Piouf!" Kirihara sweeped his sweat. "But why are you so happy, Fuji-senpai?"

"My brother will be released from the hospital and he will be back to school next week. He called me to tell me that by himself," Fuji answered.

"Oohhh! I understand now!" Kirihara said. "No wonder you're so happy!"

Fuji chuckled. He took a sakura mokana and was going to eat it, when he stopped.

_'I'll keep it later for Yuuta. He likes them,' _Fuji said. He took his handkerchief and wrapped it.

"Huh? Fuji-senpai, why don't you eat it?" Momoshiro asked.

"I will keep it for my brother. He likes them," Fuji said.

Ryoma blinked. She reflected a moment. Then, she took gave up her share of monaka and gave it to Fuji.

"Fuji-senpai, here, you can eat this one," she told him. "I'm sure that your brother would very like to know that you enjoy one too."

"Echizen-kun…? Thank you… But you…"

_'He accepts to sacrifice his part for his younger brother. So he must be really a good big brother,' _Ryoma thought.

"Don't worry! Aniki will pay something else for me for amend. He will bring me to the new amusement park tomorrow. Beside, I can always get them from kaa-san whenever I want."

"Hey! Chibisuke! Why do you gave your monoka to other people, but be picky on me?" Ryoga argued.

"Because it's fun to annoy you!" she retorted.

"And why must I bring you to the new amusement park?"

"Because I win!"

Ryoga, remembering how fast his wallet lost weight last time, turned blue.

_'That girl…'_ Ryoga twitched an eye. Yes, she got him very annoyed. But inside, he was happy. If she was annoying him, it meant that she was fine and back to her normal self. He was very worried about her injury.

"The new amusement park? Do you mean the one on the half island recently built, that attraction park?" Fuji asked.

"Yes! It's there!" Ryoma answered excitedly. She was imagining about all the food she can eat and the games she will play tomorrow.

"Aa sou ka. If you like, Echizen-kun, I can get you the VIP pass, which give you free access to everything, including the food," Fuji said.

"Eh? How?" Ryoma asked, bewildered.

"This place belongs to my family business," Fuji explained. "It's really not a problem for me at all."

"Really?" Ryoga said, happy for the new perspective concerning his wallet. "Then we will happily accept it!"

"A VIP pass…" Ryoma said. "Gah!"

"…WITH ALL THE ATTRACTIONS AND FOOD FOR FREE!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro said in one voice, excited. Ryoma suddenly got crushed by them, who were piled up on her.

"Nee nee, Fujiko! Can we go too?" Kikumaru asked. The remaining of them nodded happily, forgetting about the poor girl squashed underneath their weight.

"Errr… I don't mi-…!"

"GET OFF FROM ME, YOU OAFS!" Ryoma yelled angrily, interrupting Fuji while sending/kicking the said oafs flying away in the sky.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Ahou!" she said, dusting the dirt on her shirt. Fuji chuckled.

"Then, let's meet at the bridge crossing to the island at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning," Fuji proposed.

"Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro cheered.

"Then let's say it will be a reward for our victory," Yukimura said.

_'Oh well,' _Ryoma shrugged her shoulders. _'They are annoying, but it's fine.'_ Maybe there will be more fun than just Ryoga and her.

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

Then Ryoma remembered something.

_'That's right. Yuuta too will be released from the hospital next week.'_

* * *

(1) nitouryou: ambidextrous;

(2) arigatou gozaimashita: "Thank you very much" in polite language;

(3) ahou: stupid;

(4) baka: stupid.

A/N: Next time. Ryoma revealed as a girl.


	17. A Sunday at Tokyland

Sunday morning. Tokyland amusement park gate. 10 o'clock.

People were making a long long long line in front of the ticket entrance, from very old people to young kids. Today was a beautiful sunny day. Everyone want to enjoy this day to the best.

One by one, Seiyou tennis club were gathering, much to the delight of many girls. Gakuto and Hiyoshi were calmly talking together. Marui, Niou and Ootori were coming, Kirihara running behind them. As usual, Kaido and Momoshiro were quarrelling. Kikumaru don't stop jumping up and down around the place whereas Ooishi tried to calm him down. Kawamura was just simply be Kawamura.

Ryoma arrived with Ryoga. She was immediately assaulted. Kirihara rudely whacked her shoulder as if she was any normal boy. Kikumaru squeezed the devil out of her. Marui tested again her new status of human stuffed toy. Niou messed up her hair. Ootori laughed at her, but doesn't help her. The worst, Ryoga was laughing with him. Ooishi tried to help her to escape from them, but he was alone so he couldn't do anything. Shishido, Hiyoshi and Gakuto sweat dropped at the sight of the poor first year being assaulted by her senpais.

Yanagi watched them while Inui recorded down in his notebook their behaviours. He was very happy to have the opportunities to collect new kinds of data other than in tennis. Oshitari was amused, but not Sanada. Sanada was praying to any gods to grace him a _**LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT **_of patience and endurance for the whole day. He had the intuition that there will be a _**LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT **_of babysitting for him to do. Yagyuu wondered if the lot of them were really teenagers or very big babies disguised as teenagers.

_'Maybe they are!' _Yagyuu concluded as he watched Marui, Kikumaru and Gakuto behaving as if they were high in sugar. But maybe Ryoma was higher in sugar then them. She kicked Kikumaru, Kirihara, Marui and Niou, sending them flying high in the sky.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! We're flying againnnnnnnnnn!!!" the four boys yelled.

"Will you ever learn to leave me alone, you clowns!" Ryoma growled.

_'And to think it's only the beginning of the day!' _Sanada and Yagyuu thought, sighing heavily. They were already exhausted, even if the day hasn't start yet.

* * *

"Hey! Isn't that Seiyou tennis club regulars?" a girl in the crowd asked her friend.

"Yes it's them! But what are they doing here?" her friend asked.

"It's rare to see them at a place like this," another friend added.

"But we are so lucky to see them so near," they squealed. "They are so dreamy… Ahhhh!" And they fainted.

"Wait! If the Seiyou tennis club is here…" another girl started.

"…Then it means that _they_ will be here too!" a bunch of girls chorused, hearts in there eyes.

As soon that it was said, four Benz… Or is it Rolls Royce cars?

Argh! Who cares!!

Anyway, four luxurious cars came. From the first one, Tezuka stepped out.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Kunimitsu-kun!"

The tennis club members covered their ears.

_'Loud people!'_ they thought. They can understand that the young girls were going wild, but they don't understand why the old ladies over eighty of age are also acting like teenagers.

"Buchou," Ryoma greeted Tezuka. He nodded at her.

From the second car, it was Yukimura.

"Seiichi-sama!"

"You are as beautiful as ever!"

"Ah. Thank you," Yukimura said nicely to the crowd, smiling his angelic smile.

"Ahhhh…" some people fainted.

_'Weirdos!' _Ryoma and company thought.

"Ah. I see that you're already here," Yukimura told them.

"Konnichiwa (1), Yukimura-senpai," Ryoma greeted him. Yukimura smiled.

"Konnichiwa, Echizen-kun."

"Yiaaaaaaaaaah!" the crowd went wild again as the person in the third car stepped out.

It was Atobe, who (majestically) stepped down, with Kabaji (normally) behind him.

"Kyaaaaah! Atobe-sama!"

Atobe snapped a finger. The crowd immediately shut up.

"Be awe by this Ore-sama's gorgeous presence!"

"Kyaaaaaaaah!" Wild crowd again.

_'Show off!'_ his team mates thought.

From the last car, Fuji calmly stepped out, not in a dignified way like Tezuka nor exaggeratedly royal-ish like Atobe, but simply and humbly like himself. The crowd don't make a sound as it watched Fuji with dreamy eyes.

"Arigatou, Shindou-san," Fuji said to his driver, who was holding the door opened for him.

"Dou itashimashite, Fuji-sama," the driver said, bowing respectfully. Inside, he was really happy. Even if the heir of the Fuji family always thanks him for any little service he does, it always make him feel happy.

Fuji, noticing the sudden silence around him, turned his head to the crowd, who were still looking at him with dreamy eyes. Fuji looked at them a moment. Then, he smiled and slightly salute them with his head.

"Konnichiwa," Fuji said.

Silence. Then crazyness.

"**_KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!_**"

"Fuji-sama! Ahhhh…"

"I love you…"

"Ahhhhhhhhh…"

Many young girls, young women and old granny fainted.

_'Sugoi, Fuji/Fuji-senpai!'_ his team mates thought.

"Fuji, you steal Ore-sama's fans again!" Atobe said, a vein on his forehead, not happy. Fuji only chuckled.

* * *

"Fuji-senpai! Are we going now?" Kirihara excitedly asked.

"Hmn." Fuji nodded. "Let's go." As soon as he said that, a man in a business suit appeared.

"Fuji-sama," the director of the park greeted. "I humbly welcome you and your friends to Tokyland."

"Arigatou, Kobayashi-san," Fuji said.

"Here are the VIP passes for you and your friends." Three laides in uniform, who were waiting behind the director, stepped in front of Fuji. Each lady have a tray with the VIP pass bracelets on it.

"Hai. Douzo (2)," the first lady invited them to serve themselves.

Each of them took a bracelet and clasped around their wrist.

"It's pretty cool, but how are we going to go there?" Marui asked.

"It's so crowded that we won't be able to get in before hours," Ootori said, scanning the bridge.

"Hmph!" Atobe flipped his hair. "Be awe at the sight of this Ore-sama's prowess!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the crowd squealed.

Atobe stood in the middle of the way of the bridge, raised his hands and,

_SNAP! _

He snapped his fingers. All the people on the bridge immediately divided in two group to form a free way.

Except for Fuji, Yukimura, Tezuka and Kabaji, the rest of the team sweat dropped.

"See," Atobe said, smirking. "Follow me!" And he leaded the way.

"Oh well," Marui said, shrugging his shoulders and crossed his hands behind his head. "Let's go then."

* * *

Immediately after they set their feet in the amusement park, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori dragged Ryoma away for the Monster. The girl was screaming to them to put her down on her two feet, telling that she can walk by herself. But they don't listen and dumped her in a wagon of the Monster. After the Monster was the Snake. After the Snake was the Vampire. After the third roundabout, it was Ryoma who was the first one to choose for the next game. She went straight to the bumping cars. Much to the boys dismay, she was awful to them. She made sure she bump into each of them violently and rudely. And she sure seemed to LOVE attacking Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori. They also played the spinning tea cups, went into the Haunted House, the Iceberg, the Volcano and many others roundabouts.

After what, they played the games at every stands. First, they tried the Punching Hammer. Ryoma and Kirihara barely got 39 points. Kikumaru, Ooishi, Gakuto and Hiyoshi, 56 points. Kaido and Momoshiro 83. Kawamura hit.

_Bing!_

A 100 point. A trumpet music played as many lights lit up.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" His team mates applauded, impressed.

"Hahahahaha…" Kawamura shyly laughed.

"Kabaji!" Atobe called.

"Usu!"

Kabaji took the hammer and hit.

_Crack!_

Kabaji crushed the bell.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

Kawamura and Kabaji won each a gorilla stuffed toy. Kawamura got a blue one while Kabaji a pink.

Next, they played the aiming games: dart, circle, pistol. As expected from Seiyou tennis club regulars, they were very good. They won various prizes. Ryoma was particularly happy with her cat stuffed toy, which looked a lot like Karupin. Then, she saw another stuffed toy as the first prize of a throwing ball game. She stopped to look at the toy.

"Hey, Echizen! What are you looking at like that?" Kirihara asked her.

"There!" She pointed at the object of her curiosity. Kirihara looked at it. Then he understood what she was thinking.

"Come one, let's win it!"

"Aniki, hold this for me!" Ryoma gave him her stuffed toy.

"Oi! Wait, Chibisuke! Where are you going?"

But Ryoma already left with Kirihara.

* * *

After many minutes later, the two of them came back to the group.

"Atobe-senpai, we have something for you!" Kirihara said. Ryoma and him were grinning as they were hiding something behind their back.

"Hum? What is it?" Atobe asked, looking down at the two kids in front of him. Ryoma and Kirihara looked sheepishly to him, then shoved what they were hiding into Atobe's face.

"It's for you, Monkey King!" Ryoma and Kirihara chanted.

"Pfffffffffffffffffff! Wuahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" the others laughed on the top of their lunges while veins popped on Atobe's head.

Ryoma and Kirihara won a stuffed toy for Atobe. It was a big brown monkey wearing a purple cloak and a yellow crown on its head.

"We think that this toy looks a lot like you, Monkey King," Ryoma said. "Yi hahahahahahahahahaha!" Ryoma and Kirihara neighed.

"Why you two…" Atobe growled, his eyes red. "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Kirihara and Ryoma flung the stuffed toy away, which Kabaji caught, while Atobe chased after the two running away mischievous kids, who were still quacking. "Come back here, you brats!" Atobe yowled.

"Yiyaya hahahahahahahahahaha!!"

Sanada sighed again as Ryoma, Kirihara and Atobe ran around the table were he was sat. He was dead tired. As he expected, he was babysitting big babies in teenager body from the moment they stepped in the amusement park.

"Ahhhh…" Sanada sighed heavily as he laid on the table where Yukimura, Fuji, Yagyuu and he were sitting. Three of his ghost spirits floated on his head. "Those boys… Ahhhh…"

_'I understand what Sanada means,' _Yagyuu and Tezuka thought. They sighed too.

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

* * *

At the end of the day.

"Well, thanks a lot, Fuji. It was a great day, but we will leave now," Ryoga said.

"Arigatou, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma said, bowing to him. Fuji smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Echizen-kun," Fuji said.

"Hai."

"See you tomorrow, Ochibi!" Kikumaru said.

"Don't forget to bring your lunch too!" Kirihara said. Ryoma's eye twitched. She knows what he was understating.

"Right. Don't forget it like you did it yesterday!" Marui added.

"Otherwise, you won't be able to eat your lunch!" Niou said.

"Even if I bring it, I can't even have a single bite with you around," Ryoma muttered between her teeth. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori grinned a goofy smile. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

"Okay, let's go, Chibisuke," Ryoga said.

"See you tomorrow, senpai-tachi," Ryoma greeted them a last time.

"Bye bye!"

* * *

Monday. The school bell chimed lunch time.

"Okay class, you can closed your book now," the teacher said. "Remember to do your lab report for next week."

Ryoma yawned as she closed her chemistry book. She already finished her report.

_'Finally it's lunch time.'_

She put her book in her bag pack and left her seat.

"Ah, Echizen-kun, wait," the teacher called her.

"Hum?" Ryoma stopped. "What is it, sensei?"

"Come with me to the teacher lounge. Your homeroom teacher have something to give to you."

"Ah. Hai."

* * *

In the teacher lounged.

"Here, Echizen-chan," her homeroom teacher said, giving her craft paper bag. Ryoma took it.

"What is it, sensei?" she asked.

"Your new uniform, the girl set. It was brought to me after the first period."

"Huh?" Ryoma peeked inside.

"What a shocking surprise for me when the principal told me that you were a girl," the teacher said, chuckling. "But he explained to me what happen, so I understand why you were wearing a boy uniform from the first day. Pfffffff! And to think that some girls even asked you to be their boyfriend. Hmhmhm! Maybe this time, the boys will ask you to be their girlfriend. Hahahahahaha!" He laughed.

"It's not funny, sensei," Ryoma said, eyes twitching.

"Humhumhum! Sorry sorry," the teacher said, trying to suppress his laugh and sweeping the tears in the corner of his eye. "Anyway, why don't you try it now? If the size if not okay, you can ask for it to be replace."

"Hai. Arigatou, sensei. I'll be leaving then. Good afternoon, sensei."

The teacher smiled to her.

"Good afternoon, Echizen-chan."

Ryoma bowed and left the teacher lounge.

Since her teacher told her to try it now, she went to the girl bathroom. Some students around the place wondered why a boy was going inside a girl bathroom. Peeping girls?

In a cabin, Ryoma removed her boy uniform. Then, she put on a blouse and tie the dark blue and golden strips butterfly necktie. Next, she put the plead gray skirt. And last, the jersey, with the school emblem on her left breast. She went outside the cabin to see herself in the glass. The uniform perfectly fit her frame. She removed her wig and her long hair cascaded to her waist. Ryoma twitched her eyes as she looked at herself in the glass.

_'Curse hair!'_ she mentally grunted. It would soooooooooo great if she could _CUT_ them for real. But no, her pervert oyajii and her baka aniki had decided otherwise.

She twitched again an eye at the memory of the first day she wore her boy uniform and at her image in the mirror.

_'I… look like a girl…' _she thought. _'Curse hair!'_ She bonded her hair. She reflected again as she watched her skirt. _'I prefer the boy uniform. It's more comfortable.'_

She sighed and left the girl bathroom. As she stepped out, someone called her name.

"Ryoma, is that you?"

Ryoma turned her head.

"Yuuta! What are you doing here?" Ryoma asked.

"This is my school," Yuuta said. Ryoma looked carefully at him. Indeed, Yuuta was wearing the Seiyou boy uniform. "Don't tell me that you also study here?"

"Didn't I already told you?" Ryoma asked.

"No, you never. But I did told you that I was at this school," Yuuta said.

"Really?" Ryoma searched in her memory. "I don't remember."

Yuuta thought a moment. When he told her that, they were in a fast food restaurant. And Ryoma was eating - more likely gulping - her hamburger.

_'Ah!' _Yuuta slapped his forehead. _'Of course she wasn't listenning! She was EATING for kami-sama's sake!!' _He should have known. When Ryoma eats and you tell her something, it will probably went inside her right ear then slipped out through her left one. Her brain cells won't bother themselves to work properly and won't grab any informations if foods were involved. Yuuta sighed.

"Anyway, I' m very happy to learn that we go to the same school. But I'm surprised. How did you do to get in this school?"

"I won the scholarship," Ryoma said. They talked a little bit while walking.

"Hey, Ryoma, thank you for the advise you gave me," Yuuta said. "I called my brother and told him that I was released from the hospital. He was very happy that I told him that by myself."

Ryoma smiled.

"See. Your brother does really care about you," Ryoma said.

"I only understand it now. If you didn't tell me, maybe I would still be thinking bad about me brother," Yuuta said, a smile on his face. "You know, he brought me a sakura monaka cake, exactely like the one you gave me."

"Ah," Ryoma said.

"By the way, you are going to eat lunch, right? Why don't you come with me? I want to present you to my brother," Yuuta said.

"Errr…"

_'Well, it's better than having to see the bunch of them again,' _Ryoma thought.

"Okay."

"Great! Then come on! Let's go to the green house!" Yuuta said.

_'The green house…? Hey! Isn't that…' _Ryoma wondered. But she don't search further and simply followed Yuuta.

* * *

In the green house.

Marui and Niou were rested on their elbow on the table, not happy.

"What's wrong with you two?" Ootori asked. "You're making such a boring face."

"And why didn't you bring Echizen with you?" Kirihara asked.

"Echizen was not in his class today," Marui said, sighing. Like always, Niou and he went ahead to kidnap Ryoma again, but she was faster than them today. She already left before they arrived.

"Ahhh… And I here I thought I could eat his lunch again," Niou said, sighing.

_'That's why he escapes away from you, ahou!' _Yagyuu and Sanada thought.

"Ah ah… I miss Ochibi-chan," Kikumaru said.

"It's kind of boring when Echizen is not here…" Shishido admitted. Gakuto nodded.

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled. Somehow, they understand what Kikumaru and Shishido meant. Fuji checked his watched.

"What is it, Fuji-senpai?" Momoshiro asked him. "You have been looking at your watch many time by now."

"Yuuta said that he will come to eat with us after that he took an agreement with his homeroom teacher for the classes he missed. He should be here by now," Fuji said.

"Here he comes," Oshitari said. "And with a girl too."

"What?! With a girl!" Momoshiro exclaimed. They turned their attention to the green house door.

"Ah! I remember! Yuuta already have a girlfriend!" Kirihara said. "Could it be her?"

* * *

"Yuuta, I thought that the green house was a private place for the student council members only?" Ryoma said.

"It is. My brother is the president of the council student."

"Ah." Ryoma thought again. "That's right, I never took the pain to learn who are the council students."

Yuuta sighed.

"Why am I not surprised to hear that from you?" Yuuta said. "Ryoma, at least learn who represent your interests in school. Anyway, come in." Yuuta pulled the door to let her went ahead.

"Ah! Yuuta! You come back!" Kirihara went ahead to him with Marui, Niou and Ootori.

_'Gaaaaaaag! Them again!?' _Ryoma thought, her face blue. _'And here I thought I would be spare by them today.'_

"Hi guys! It's nice to see you again," Yuuta said.

"Yuuta," Fuji greeted him with a happy smile.

"Aniki, hi," Yuuta said. "Here let me introduce you. This is my friend, the one I talked to you about, Ryo…"

"WHAT?!" Ryoma interrupted Yuuta. "Yuuta, you mean that Fuji-senpai is your brother?"

"Huh?" Fuji opened his eyes to look at the girl in front of him. She said his name as if she was familiar to him. He examined her.

_'She's familiar… Where did I saw her?'_ Fuji thought.

"Yes, Fuji Syuusuke is my brother. Ah, you already know him?" Yuuta said.

"I know Fuji-senpai, but I didn't know that he was your brother."

"Ah," Yuuta said. "Haven't you notice that we have the same family name?"

"You told me your family name before?"

"Yes I did," Yuuta said. "But maybe I should have tell you that when you weren't eating_…_" Yuuta mumbled the last part, scratching his head.

Ryoma pouted her lips, innocently pretending that she didn't understand what Yuuta was understating.

"Yuuta, I'm surprise you know such a pretty girl," Ootori said.

"Hum! Hum!" Marui and Niou nodded eagerly, smiling at Ryoma. The bunch of them were now gathered around Ryoma and Yuuta.

"You are sure lucky, Yuuta," Kikumaru said.

"Hey, what's your name?" Momoshiro asked.

"Huh!?" Ryoma was dumbfounded. _'What's the heck with them?'_

Kirihara took Ryoma's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Kirihara Akaya! Yoroshiku! Are you Yuuta's girlfriend?" Kirihara asked excitedly.

"_**WHAT?!**_" Ryoma and Yuuta yelled. Fuji snickered.

"If not, then will you be my girlfriend?" Ootori asked.

"Urgh!" Ryoma turned blue at the idea.

"Hey! If you don't like him, what do you think about me? I'm Marui Bunta!"

"I'm Niou-…!"

"Senpai, stop it! You gross me out!" Ryoma told them.

"Hey, you talk like Echizen," Gakuto said. "Not to mention you have the same voice as him too."

"Well, physically, she looks a lot like Echizen," Shishido said.

"The same hair and eye color," Oshitari said.

"Hum. That's true," Kawamura said. Ooishi nodded.

"Fsssssssssssssssssh!"

"Hum, could it be that she is related to Echizen?" Yagyuu said.

"Well, since they are physically so alike, probably they are," Yanagi said.

"Do you happen to know a brat by the name of Echizen Ryoma?" Atobe asked.

"Or are you relate to him?" Sanada asked.

"Like being Ochibi-chan's sister?" Kikumaru added.

"Echizen never told us that he has a sister," Momoshiro said.

"No, Echizen doesn't have a sister," Yanagi said.

"His only sibling is Echizen Ryoga," Inui said.

"Senpai, what are you talking about?" Ryoma stopped them. "It's me!"

"Ryoma, you know them too?" Yuuta asked.

"Yeah," Ryoma answered.

"Ryoma? Hey, you have the same first name as Echizen too," Kirihara said.

"I didn't know that the name Ryoma was that popular," Gakuto said.

Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro nodded.

Yukimura, who was watching from the beginning, thought it was about time to untangle the confusion.

_'Seems like Echizen-chan needs my help,' _Yukimura thought, silently laughing.

"All of you, that's enough," Yukimura said. "Stop it already. Leave Echizen-chan be now."

"Echizen?" Momoshiro asked. They all looked closely at the girl standing next to Yuuta, examining her from the head to the toe.

Up.

Down.

And up again.

. . .

Silence.

. . .

Tokyo. Seiyou Academy school ground.

Today was a beautiful day. The sky is blue and the sun is shinning hight in the sky. On Seiyou Academy ground, birds were chirping happily in the trees, squirrels dancing from one branch to another. It was a beautiful and peacef-!…

"**_USOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!_**"

* * *

(1) konnichiwa: hello;

(2) dozou: equivalent to "Please, feel free" or "Please, serve yourself".


	18. Echizen Ryoma is a girl!

A/N: To all my readers, I'm sorry to tell you that, but I have give up upon finding a beta-reader. Up to now, all the people who proposed themselves to be my betas have give up after reviewing one chapter. Or they didn't give any news after I send them a new chapter. I understand that they are very busy too, or maybe also because I scare them because of my weekly posting. I have give up waiting for a respond from them and post the new chapters as they were. Otherwise, you will be waiting for eternity before reading a new chapter. In that case, I think that you will feel frustrated and/or bored.

The only thing possible now, is that you, by yourself, point out my mistakes and I will correct them. For example, someone send a review saying : "You made a mistake in the chapter _XX_. It's not "snakes" but "snacks"." After that, I change the "snakes" to "snacks". Or, if someone feel the desire, you can take the already posted chapters, beta-read them and send them back to me. Then, I will repost the said chapters. If you can also suggest me new vocabularies or a better way to turn out my sentences, then I will happily apply them.

I will stop asking for an official beta-reader. If you want to correct one of my already posted chapters or you want to suggest something new (styles, new sentence turn-out, new vocabularies...) to make it better, feel free and go for it. I will take all your suggestions into considerations.

So now the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

From last time…

Yukimura, who was watching from the beginning, thought it was about time to untangle the confusion.

_'Seems like Ryoma-chan needs my help,' _Yukimura thought, silently laughing.

"All of you, that's enough," Yukimura said. "Stop it already. Leave Echizen-chan be now."

"Echizen?" Momoshiro asked. They all looked closely at the girl standing next to Yuuta, examining her from the head to the toe.

Up.

Down.

And up again.

. . .

Silence.

. . .

Tokyo. Seiyou Academy school ground.

Today was a beautiful day. The sky is blue and the sun is shinning high in the sky. On Seiyou Academy ground, birds were chirping happily in the trees, squirrels dancing from one branch to another. It was a beautiful and peacef-!…

"**_USOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**"

* * *

"**_USOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**"

. . .

Well, maybe it wasn't such a peaceful day after all. Forget about the lines up there!

The ground of Seiyou Academy trembled. The birds flew away in the sky in panic. People in the whole school were holding themselves against something so they won't fall or trip somewhere. The vice-principal Ashimoto-sensei wasn't happy because he got splashed with his hot tea. And the principal Ishigawa-kouchou-sensei (1) was laughing at Ashimoto-sensei. Throughout the country of Japan, people wondered "What happened?" They don't remember hearing the weather forecast talking about an earthquake today. In Europe and in America, people thought: "Asian people are sure noisy today!". In the space, aliens observing Earth wondered what could have cause the little blue planet to suddenly shake itself violently.

"Maybe the humans are experimenting a new high sensation game?" one alien hypothesised. His companions agreed with him.

. . .

Now, back inside Seiyou Academy school green house.

A heavy silence now replace the previous shocking atmosphere. The regulars examined again the girl standing next to Yuuta. Wherever they look at her, she looks exactly like the male Echizen Ryoma they know: black hair with emerald glints, golden eyes, short height. The only differences were the girl set uniform and the long hair, but nonetheless _exactly_ like their boy Echizen Ryoma. One must reaches the irrefutable final conclusion.

"…Echizen…" Kirihara started.

"…Ryoma…" Marui continued.

"…is…" Niou added.

"…a girl…" Ootori concluded.

"…No way…" Momoshiro finished.

"Fsssssssssssssssssssh!" Kaido approved Momoshiro.

"Yes way," Ryoma retorted.

"Ara? You didn't know she was a girl?" Jirou said.

"WHAT?" Gakuto exclaimed. "Jirou, you knew that she was a girl?"

"Yes," Jirou answered.

"**_USOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**"

For the second time of the day, another earthquake occurred on Seiyou Academy ground. Ashimoto-sensei who was holding a tea pot to serve himself another cup of tea, got splashed with the whole content of the tea pot. Ishigawa-sensei was laughing harder.

"Ishigawa-sensei…" Ashimoto-sensei said, twitching an eye.

"I suppose that some people discover that Echizen-chan is a girl by now. Hahahahahaha!" Ishigawa-sensei laughed.

Ashimoto-sensei sighed.

* * *

"Jirou-senpai, why didn't tell us that you knew that Echizen was a girl?" Shishido asked."How could it be possible that you know it when you are asleep 99 percent of the time?"

"Hum. Shishido has a good point…" Inui mumbled as he hastily scribbled in his notebook about the new development.

"Huh? You really didn't notice?" Jirou said. "But I'm not the only who knows that Echizen-chan is a girl."

"Who else then?" Kikumaru asked.

"Well…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori turned to Yukimura, who was smiling brightly. "YUKIMURA/BUCHOU! YOU KNEW IT!" they accused Yukimura.

"Yes," Yukimura said, smiling a dazzling smile again.

"Why… Why didn't you tell us…?" Sanada asked, his voice trembling a little bit. He was too shock by the news.

"Because I thought it would be funny to see your reactions," Yukimura said. "And I was very right. It was _verrrrrry_ funny. Hahahahaha!" He laughed.

"Yukimura…" Yanagi trailed slowly.

Except Fuji, Jirou and Kabaji, all the regulars became instantly very tired.

"Ahhhh_…_" they sighed.

_'He got us again!'_ they thought.

"Since when you knew it?" Yagyuu asked.

"Since the first day we met her," Yukimura answered.

* * *

Flashback

3-A room. English period.

"Atobe, that's enough! Let him be. It's just his first day here with you guys. Besides, I advise you to have him to tutor you. His accent is perfect while yours is still a little tainted with Japanese. You can also have him to tutor you for French! Your French accent is horrible!" the teacher said.

"Wuahahahahahahaha!" Niou, Marui and Ootori laughed louder. It was too comical. Ryoma pulled her tongue to Atobe.

End flashback

* * *

"She pulled her tongue to Atobe. It was a very girlish way, and childish too, to behave," Yukimura explained.

Ryoma pouted at the "childish" qualitative. Yukimura saw her. He laughed again.

"Huhuhuhuhu!"

Then he continued.

"But Jirou and I aren't the only one who know that Echizen-chan is a girl," Yukimura said. "Nee, Kabaji?"

"Usu!" Kabaji answered.

"Gah!" Atobe became blank. "You knew it? Why didn't you tell me?"

"…" Kabaji don't say anything.

"Have you asked him, Atobe?" Yanagi asked.

"Err… No…" Atobe trailed off.

"Well, in that case, it's normal that he didn't tell you," Gakuto said.

"Since when you know it, Kabaji?" Hiyoshi asked.

"…" Kabaji answered.

"Since the Preliminary District?" Oshitari read Kabaji. "When you carried her on your shoulder. Is that right?"

"Usu!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Atobe screamed. He felt like an idiot. He, who was the most intelligent one in Seiyou - so he thought about himself - didn't notice that that brat, who kept calling him by a dreadful name, was actually a girl.

In the green house, it was chaos. Everybody were talking in the same time, no one listening to no anyone. Tezuka fight to remain stoic outside, but inside was another story. Sanada was gloomy. Yanagi and Yagyuu tried to find out why they didn't know that their freshman was a girl. Inui's pen danced madly across his notebook. Ooishi and Kawamura were gaping like fish out of water. Yuuta was trying to convince Momoshiro and Kaido that Ryoma was really a girl, but the two Seigaku boys kept denying, saying that it cannot be possible. Oshitari, Hiyoshi and Gakuto listened to Yuuta's explanations, trying to link together the new information Yuuta tells them. Ootori, Niou, Marui and Kirihara were quarrelling over Ryoma's head. Ryoma, sat in a chair, rested on her elbow, kept sighing at their stupidity. While waiting for them to stop, she tapped her right foot on the floor. Yukimura was simply smiling while watching.

The whole time, Fuji didn't say anything. He was deep in his thinking.

_'Echizen-kun?'_ Fuji thought a moment. _'He… is a she…?' _He looked closely at her. Indeed, it was Echizen, but with long hair and in the girl uniform. _'Now I remember the first day we bumped into eachother, I felt a soft lump on his/her chest. That would be a girl bosom…'_ Fuji gulped. _'So he was a she after all. And I_… (blush)_ I touched_…_ a girl's…'_ He blushed more. He looked at her. _'I hope she forgot that part…'_

He watched her. Ryoma was tapping madly her foot, many veins popping on her head.

_'When will you stop this nonsense, you dimwits?' _Ryoma thought, very annoyed.

"Wait!" Kirihara suddenly exclaimed. "If Echizen is a girl… Then… Then… Then…"

Silence.

Think again.

"Then I have been beaten… by… a… GIRL…?"

Silence again.

Next, he screamed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Kirihara crouched down in front of the roses bed and grabbed his head in his hands, crying.

"Bouhou…! I got beaten by a girl who is younger and shorter than me… Bouhouhou! Woeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Ryoma twitched.

_'Did he really need to add "shorter"?' _Ryoma thought.

"There there, Kirihara," Yuuta said, patting his shoulder. "I know how you feel. I perfectly understand it."

"What! You mean that she beat you too?" Kirihara asked. Yuuta fidged. A black atmosphere descended on Yuuta's head. Suddenly, he becames gloomy. At first, he only wanted to comfort Kirihara, but the Kirihara just remined him something he wanted to forget about. The next second, Yuuta was crouched next to Kirihara in front of the roses bed, hugging his knees. Three of Yuura's spirit ghosts floated over his head.

"Ah. Then it means that Yuuta got beaten by her too," Kikumaru said. Kawamura nodded.

"Fshh-…!" Kaido dropped next to Yuuta.

"Mamushi/Kaido!" Momoshiro and Ooishi exclaimed. Ooishi fussed around the dead Kaido.

"Hmm, guess he is shocked to got beaten by a girl too," Inui mumbled, scribbling in his notebook.

"Inui-senpai, I beat you too," Ryoma said.

". . ."

Next, Inui was crouched down next to Kaido.

The remaining of the regulars sweat dropped as they looked at the four boys crouched in front of the roses bed, chibi form. Kirihara was drawing circles on the ground, Yuuta was still hugging his knees, very depressed. Inui wasn't scribbling anything. Momoshiro lifted the granite block Kaido on his legs so he was crouched like the others. On their head, their spirits were floating.

_'At least, they've stopped their nonsenses,' _Ryoma thought, sighing.

She took out her bento. This time, her bento box was bigger than usually. It was the same size as the one Ryoga brought to her during the District Tournament, with three layer boxes.

"Will you stop making the atmosphere heavy if I give you this?" Ryoma asked, showing them her bento. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori switched their attention to the rectangle box in Ryoma's hands, their eyes shining. Ryoma lobbed a layer in the air. All their eyes followed the motion of the box, up and down.

"Hanyah?" Kikumaru caught it. Suddenly, he felt something different in the air around him. Momoshiro, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori watched him with dangerous eyes.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" they growled.

"Yikes!" Kikumaru frigtened, sweating cold. By instinct, he did something he shouldn't have: he pulled the box closer to him. He only did it because their growl scared him, but they misinterpreted his actions. In their eyes, the cat-boy wanted to keep the box all for himself.

They jumped on him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kikumaru yelled.

A battle for foods was the next thing happening. Yuuta, Ooishi and Kawamura sweat dropped. Ryoma sighed as she set the remainging boxes on the table.

"Here, serve yourselves, senpai-tachi," she said to the others. They smiled and each of them picked something in the bento boxes.

"It's surprising, Echizen-chan," Oshitari said. "Why did you bring such a big box today? And sharing it with us on your own will?"

Ryoma took out a piece of paper and gave it to Oshitari.

"What is it?" Oshitari asked as he unfold the paper.

"From kaa-san, for you," Ryoma answered as she took an onigiri.

"What is it, Oshitari?" Gakuto said as Shishido and he leaned over Oshitari's shoulders to see the paper.

"To Seiyou Academy tennis club regulars, thank you for taking care of my daughter Ryoma. Please, accept this bento as a token of my gratitude. Echizen Rinko," Oshitari read. Yagyuu took the paper from Oshitari hands and read it too.

"So it's confirmed. Echizen Ryoma is a girl," Yagyuu said.

"For once that I can eat something from my bento and not just them," Ryoma said between her teeth and bite in her onigiri. Yukimura chuckled. Even Fuji could not suppress a small smile.

* * *

(1) kouchou and sensei: principal and teacher. Ishigawa-kouchou-sensei was a former teacher before and is now a principal. The fact remained that he was still had been a teacher before. I cut it short him as Ishigawa-sensei.


	19. Visiting Ryoma's family

A/N: Sorry for the so long waiting. I was out of ideas for this chapter, but it's fine now.

So everyone, enjoy!

* * *

-

_**SPECIAL!!!!**_

Seiyou Academy behind the scene.

This is **NOT INCLUDED** in the story!

-

* * *

In the living room.

"Fuji, you're a pervert!" Plush said.

"Hum? What do you mean?" Fuji asked innocently, smiling. Plush pointed out two reviews on the computer.

"See? From Sasodei-iz-awsome and FallenAngel Sayu, you're a perv!" Plush said again.

"What?! Fujiko is a pervert?" Kikumaru appeared behind Fuji. "Where? Let me see!"

"Here!" Plush pointed the reviews to Kikumaru.

"Oooooooooooooh! So it's true! Fujiko is really a pervert!" Kikumaru said. Fuji chuckled.

"Fuji, I didn't know that from you!" Oshitari said.

"Me neither!" Atobe said. "Naa, Kabaji!"

"Usu!"

"Hum? What makes Fuji-senpai a pervert?" Ryoma asked.

"Look!" Momoshiro pointed to Ryoma a passage in the chapter 18.

Ryoma read it.

. . .

Stop.

Frown.

She read over the passage again.

Blink blink.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoma yelled.

She grabbed Fuji by his collar.

"Fuji-senpai! You touched my…" She couldn't say the word. She blushed and her head fumed.

"But I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident!" Fuji defended himself, though he was smiling a big big big smile, not feeling any repentance at all.

Ryoma lowed her head, trembling, fighting really heard not to kill him right on the spot. And right now!

"You were a boy that day. How was I suppose to know that _that thing _was a girl's bo-…!"

"Shut up! Don't say more!" Ryoma cut him. She was redder than she was already.

"Huhuhuhu!" Fuji chuckled as he gently removed her hands from his collar. But he didn't released them. He kept them in his.

"Fuji-senpai, why am I thinking that you don't regret what you did? And that you are very happy of that "accident", as you called it," Kirihara said.

"I agree with Kirihara," Yagyuu said.

"Me too!" Marui, Niou, Kikumaru and Momoshiro said.

"Fssssssssssssssssssssssssh!" Kaido also agreed.

Fuji only chuckled.

"Say, Fuji," Ootori whispered into Fuji's ear. "How does it feel?"

"Hum? What?" Fuji asked, whispering too.

"Her bosom!"

"Oh!" Fuji exclaimed loudly, catching the people's attention. "Well, it was soft and warm. And the size is-…!"

"Fuji-senpai!!" Ryoma interrupted him again. Fuji chuckled.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji started. He hold her two hand in his left hand while he caressed her cheek with his right.

"Who give you the permission to call me by my first name?" Ryoma tried to free herself from his grip. Fuji ignored it, still smiling.

"As I say, _Ryoma-chan_, I'm not a real pervert," Fuji continued, holding her hands tighter. "Real perverts are people who… umm… get perverted over more than one person, like your father for example. As for me, I'm… errr… just very _very _interested in you. I like imagining you calling me by my first name, with a sweet voice. And you're also wearing a maid outfit, the skirt very short. You have cat ears and tail, like your cat Karupin. And…"

"Fuji, that's a pervert's way of thinking!" Tezuka stated.

"Hmn! Hmn!" Everybody in the room nodded. Fuji chuckled.

"Well, since you insist on calling me a pervert, then I can be one," Fuji said. "Say, Ryoma-chan, how about a date, between you and I only, in an isolated place? After the date, we can, at my place, spend the night toge-!…"

"QUIET! SHUT YOUR MOUTH! EAT YOUR TONGUE! SWALLOW IT! DON'T SAY ANYTHING MORE!!" Ryoma yelled. It was more than she can take. Now, she was red from the head to the toe, her body shaking madly from fury.

_'He is a sadist!' _Ryoma thought.

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

"Yukimura-senpai, can't you do anything to stop him?" Ryoma whined.

"I'm sorry Echizen-chan, but I value my life. I'm worried… ummm, no… _scared_ (he insisted on this word) that he might do something horrible to me, like blackmailing me or worst, if I stop him," Yukimura said, smiling.

_'So not true!' _all the people think. Obviously, Yukimura was enjoying himself at the expend of Ryoma. And as if someone can blackmail Yukimura Seiichi! Fuji and Yukimura chuckled. Sanada and Tezuka sighed.

"Anyway, let's continue with the next chapter," Sanada said.

"Enjoy!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori said, a salute sign on the forehead.

From behind their back, Ryoma yelled again.

"Fuji-senpai, would you stop perverting yourself on me and release my hands now please?! AND MOVE YOUR OTHER HAND AWAY FROM MY BREAST!!!"

Fuji chuckled again.

* * *

-

**Seiyou Academy. Chapter 19**

-

* * *

_Ding dong ding dong!_

The school bell chimed the end of the day.

"Okay class, it's over for the day. Don't forget to do your homework," the teacher said.

"Hai."

Ryoma put her books in her satchel and left the class. Today, there was no practice. Tezuka decided to give one day break since they won the Preliminary. Ryoma was a little bit disappointed, but it wasn't like she could do anything.

_'Oh well, let's go home,' _she thought. She was going to cross the school gate when someone called her.

"Echizen, wait," Tezuka called. Ryoma turned her head to see Yukimura, Fuji, Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu.

"Senpai-tachi," she greeted them. "What is it?"

"Today, we are going to your place," Yukimura said.

"Huh? What for?" Ryoma asked.

"For something," Sanada said.

"But I…"

"We already called your house. Your family know that we are coming," Yagyuu said, knowing what she was going to say.

"Ah…"

"Anyway, let's go now," Sanada said as he walked ahead. Yukimura, Yagyuu and Tezuka following him.

"Ah! Wait, senpai-tachi!" Ryoma tried to stop them. Fuji took her hand. She blushed, feeling the warmth of his touch.

"Come," Fuji said. "It's nothing you have to worry about."

"Euh… Fine… I guess…" Ryoma trailed, frowning. Fuji chuckled. Then, he gently pulled her to him. She decided to follow him anyway.

Atobe was waiting for them.

"Are you ready?" Atobe asked. Tezuka nodded. "Then climb in," Atobe said, pointing to the limousine.

Some of the other regulars were inside too.

"Huh? You're coming too?" Yukimura asked.

"Well, yeah!" Marui said.

"It's not like we are going to let you have fun without us!" Kirihara said.

"True, true!" Kikumaru insisted.

"It's not fair to leave us behind when you are going for a party!" Ootori said, arms crossed on his chest. Tezuka sighed.

"It's not for a party. It's a courtesy visit to Echizen's family," Tezuka said.

"It's still a party for us!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru happily chanted. Sanada, Yagyuu and Tezuka sighed heavily. Ryoma, sat between Fuji and Yukimura, sweat dropped. But somehow, she wasn't surprised of that answer from them.

_'Okay, now it's confirmed. They are big babies in teenager body!'_ she concluded.

"It must be really hard to babysit them all the time," Ryoma whispered. Oshitari heard her.

"You don't know half of it, and you don't want to know either," he told her. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

* * *

"Tadaima," Ryoma said as she entered her house.

"Okaeri, Ryoma," Rinko greeted. Nanjiro nodded, grunting.

"Okaeri, Ryoma-chan!" Nanako, her cousin said.

"Kaeri, Chibisuke!" Ryoga said.

"Meow!" Karupin leaped into her arms.

"Tadaima, Karupin!" Ryoma hugged him and buried her face in his fur. Karupin purred in bliss.

"Oh! A cat! Kawaii!" Kikumaru said, peering from her shoulder. Ryoma remembered that she wasn't alone.

"Kaa-san, oyajii, my senpai-tachi are here to see you," Ryoma said.

"Ah! That's right! Come in please!" Rinko invited them in.

"OJAMASHIMASU (1)!" the regulars said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori louder than the rest.

"Please, take a seat," Nanako told them.

* * *

"Echizen-fusai (2), thank you for receiving us," Tezuka said, bowing to Nanjirou and Rinko. The others bowed too. They started to introduce themselves one by one, telling their name and grade.

"Huhuhu. It's a pleasure to meet my daughter's friends," Rinko said when they finished.

"Hmn!" Nanjirou said.

"In return for the bento you made for us, we brought you gifts too," Yukimura said.

"Kabaji!" Atobe called.

"Usu!"

_Bang! _

Kabaji put on the table a _huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge_ pile of gifts and presents.

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" the Echizen family exclaimed. The pile reached the ceiling.

"Huhuhu! You didn't have too, but thank you very much," Rinko said.

"What is it?" Ryoga asked.

"There are the finest foods, fresh and dried, of Japan," Atobe said, pointing to the pile by the wall. "They were selected by our best cooks and chiefs."

Atobe presented a box for each member of the Echizen household, except to Ryoma.

"Hum?" Ryoga, Nanjiro, Rinko and Nanako opened their box. "Ooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Oh! A furisode (3)!" Nanako exclaimed as she extracted it from the box. The bottom was pink and its shaded off to lilac and blue on the top. Along the shaded off color, white and pink sakura flowers flying in the wind were drawn on the furisode. "It's beautiful! I never have never seen such a magnificent furisode! Thank you very much!"

"Indeed, it's very beautiful. I appreciated it very much. Thank you," Rinko said, talking about her kimono. It was a black formal with white and lilac shaded. There were also lilac wisterias painted and golden thread.

Atobe started to describe every single gifts, telling where they come from, what's their particularities, how much do they cost, blablabla.

"Hey, Yuuta, is it necessary to bring all this gifts?" Ryoma asked.

"This is courtesy, Ryoma. When we receive something from people, we must return something back. Don't you do that too?" Yuuta said.

"Yeah, but we don't do fanciful like that!" Ryoma said, thumbing Atobe. Yuuta chuckled.

"This is Atobe we are talking about. You know what it means," Yuuta said.

* * *

The whole time, Marui had not stop watching Nanjirou.

_'Why is he so familiar to me?' _he wondered. He searched again in his memory while examining every features of Nanjirou's face.

Tanned skin, same eye shape as Ryoma, tone chest visible through his black cloth. And that face, that eyes expression, expression of a mature male who knows very well his potentials.

As Nanjirou listened to Atobe and Yagyuu talking, he grinned.

He grinned _that_ grin.

That grin similar to…

"Ahh! Samurai Nanjirou!!" Marui exclaimed, jumping on his feet.

"Hum?" Everybody turned to look at him.

"What is it, Marui-senpai?" Kirihara asked.

"You're… You're…" Marui stuttered, pointing at Nanjirou. "You're the legendary Samurai Nanjirou!"

"What?! For real!!" Shishido and Gakuto said. All the regulars now looked at Nanjirou, examining him just like Marui did few minutes ago.

"Ah! That's true!" Niou said.

"Are… Are you really Samurai Nanjirou? _THE_ Samurai Nanjirou?" Kikumaru asked hesitantly, excitement percibled in his voice.

"Yes! That's me!" Nanjirou beamed, thumbing himself.

"Uso!" Momoshiro said.

"Fssssssssssssssssssssh!"

"I don't believe it! I have the Samurai Nanjirou right in front of my eyes…" Ootori muttered.

Ryoma looked at her senpais. They were all eyeing her old man with admiration, as if he was a movie star.

"Why are you so impressed about him?" Ryoma asked. She reflected a moment. "Ah! Oyajii! Don't tell me that your pervert reputation is that known to everyone?!"

_Glomp!_

"Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Ryoma struggled as Kikumaru strangled her in a death-grip glomp.

"Samurai Nanjirou! It's the Samurai Nanjirou, Ochibi-chan! Samurai Nanjirou! Sugoi!" Kikumaru said.

"Echizen Nanjirou, called the Samurai, was the undefeated invincible tennis player from the land of sakura. He invented the Nitouryuu ambidextrous play style and is the creator of the Nanjirou Zone," Inui recited.

Tezuka couldn't believe that the man who was his ultimate model, and who is still now, was just in front of him. Tezuka achieved the Tezuka Zone because he had always wanted to be like this man.

"According to the professional tennis world, he is the kind of prodigy that appears only once every century. He accomplished the utmost achievement of a professional tennis player. He opened the Muga no Kyouchi's final door, the Ten Imuhou no Kiwami, the Pinnacle of Perfection," Yanagi said.

"Hahahahahaha! That's me alright!" Nanjirou said, beaming with pride.

"He was going to earn the Grand Slam title before he unexpectedly retired from the tennis world about fourteen year ago. But no one knows for what reason he did it," Yagyuu added.

"Echizen, I didn't know that your father was Echizen Nanjirou! If I knew it, I would have come to your house before!" Momoshiro said, very excited.

"This is so cool! I'm so lucky to meet you, Echizen-dono (4)," Kirihara said. "I have always been a big fan of you! Can I have your signature, please?"

"Hahahahahaha! Of course!" Nanjirou said as he signed a card for Kirihara.

"Me too! Me too! I want one!" Momoshiro said.

"Ah! Me too please!" Shishido and Gakuto added. Kaido, who was blushing, nodded too. He also wanted to have a signature of the Samurai.

The regulars gathered around Nanjirou, like fans around a movie star, asking for his autograph. Dumbfounded, Ryoma turned to her mother.

"Kaa-san, was oyajii that famous in tennis?" Ryoma asked.

"Yes, Ryoma," Rinko answered, smiling.

Ryoma frowned, not believing.

_'I know oyajii is good in tennis, even if it pains me to admit it,'_ Ryoma thought.

She had never been able to beat him, _YET_!

(One day she will for sure!)

But she didn't know that he was _that_ good, to the point that the regulars were so happy to meet him.

_'According to Yagyuu-senpai, he was going to earn the Grand Slam. Now THAT one is hard to believe!'_

She always saw him played in a childish way, never being seriously.

_'How can someone playing like a child can take the Grand Slam? Not to mention he's an uncurable pervert too! But…' _

Ryoma watched Nanjirou, who was now the center of the attention of her senpais. Even Tezuka-buchou was listening eagerly to everything he said.

_'Could it be different if he played seriously…?' _

She focused her attention on Nanjirou.

_'But then again…'_

Ryoma frowned.

"If he was going to take the Grand Slam, why did he retire so soon?" Ryoma asked.

Rinko smiled mysteriously, eyeing softly Ryoma. She put a hand on Ryoma's head.

"Saa… Who knows?" Rinko said, chuckling. But she don't explain further more.

"That's right. It's a very good question," Yuuta remarked.

"If he was so near the Grand Slam, why did he retired so soon?" Gakuto wondered.

"It's certainly not for an injury or anything like that," Shishido said.

"He retired fourteen years ago," Yukimura said, as if he knew the answer.

"Fourteen years ago…?" Oshitari repeated slowly.

_'Ah! Fourteen years ago!' _the regulars thought. They turned to look at Ryoma._ 'It would be around the time she was born!'_

(A/N: In my fanfic, Ryoma is fourteen turning fifteen, and not twelve.)

Rinko watched them looking at Ryoma.

_'They realized the reason why Nanjirou retired so soon,' _Rinko thought, smiling. _'They are good boys for noticing it.'_

Ryoga, knowing what Rinko was thinking, smiled too. If his mother also have the same impression he had of them the first time he met them, then he can be reassured for Ryoma.

Ryoma looked suspiciously at Nanjirou.

"I'm sure oyajii retired sooner from the tennis because he wanted to have more times for his dirty hobby_…_" Ryoma mumbled between her teeth. Rinko chuckled.

* * *

After that all the regulars got a signature of Nanjirou, and a couple more for their family members (they have father, mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins who also worshiped Samurai Nanjirou) and friends, Kirihara dared to ask something more.

"Echizen-dono," Kirihara said.

"Drop the -dono-thing," Nanjirou said. "Don't need to be so polite with me. Call me Nanjirou."

"Ah, hai. Then Nanjirou-san, can I have a match with you, please?" Kirihara asked, stars in his eyes.

"Hey! I wanted to ask that first!" Marui protested. He turned to Nanjirou. "Nanjirou-san, can I have a match with you too please?"

"Me too!" Niou said.

"Me too!" Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro said.

"Hahahahaha!" Nanjirou laughed. "Then grab your racket and join me in the court!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" they cheered. They hurried off to grab their rackets.

* * *

(1) ojamashimasu: equivalent to "I'm intruding your house".

(2) -fusai: Mr. and Mrs.;

(3) furisode: formal kimono for unmarried women. It's made from very fine and brightly colored silk. Furisode are distinguishable by their long sleeves, which can reach 42 inches lenght. Wearing a furisode means that a young woman is single and at legal adult age - available for marriage in short. A furisode can cost from 100,000 up to 1,000,000 yens (approximately 10,000 US dollars). Hey! You can buy a car with that amount!

(4) -dono: highly honorable suffix.


	20. Yukimura Seiichi is not a girl!

A/N: Thank you to Lonely Rain for beta-reading.

* * *

From last time…

"Echizen-dono," Kirihara said.

"Drop the -dono-thing," Nanjirou said. "Don't need to be so polite with me. Call me Nanjirou."

"Ah, hai. Then Nanjirou-san, can I have a match with you, please?" Kirihara asked, stars in his eyes.

"Hey! I wanted to ask that first!" Marui protested. He turned to Nanjirou. "Nanjirou-san, can I have a match with you too please?"

"Me too!" Niou said.

"Me too!" Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro said.

"Hahahahaha!" Nanjirou laughed. "Then grab your racket and join me in the court!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" they cheered. They hurried off to grab their rackets.

* * *

"Hahahahahaha! Mada mada dana, senshounen (1)!" Nanjirou laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori panted heavily, utterly exhausted. Even if Nanjirou retired many years ago, he sure didn't loose the touch.

All the regulars were exhausted to dead. They lay scattered one the tennis court. Even Tezuka couldn't stand on his feet. He sat, leaned against a wall, as well as Yukimura, Fuji, Sanada and Atobe. They faced Nanjirou in single, then two against one, then three agains one, then four, then six, and so on. But no matter what, they couldn't even mark one ball in Nanjirou court side. It was clear to them that they didn't bring the Samurai to play with all his strenght against them. Nanjirou gave them a handicap: he played with his eyes closed.

"Ha ha ha… Ochibi-chan… ha ha ha…" Kikumaru panted. "Your dad… ha ha ha… is very good… Ha ha ha…"

"As expected… ha ha ha… from… ha ha ha… Samurai… ha ha ha… Nanjirou… Haaaaaaaa…" Kirihara said dropped his head on the ground, releasing a long sigh of exhaustion.

"This is… ha ha ha… the first time… ha ha ha… I lost so badly… ha ha ha… to anyone… ha ha ha…" Niou said.

"Echizen… ha ha ha… do you… ha ha ha… play tennis… ha ha ha… with your dad… ha ha ha… everyday day… ha ha ha…" Marui asked.

"Yeah…" Ryoma answered, sighing.

"No wonder… ha ha ha… you're so good… ha ha ha…" Ootori said.

"And here I thought… ha ha ha… that we could have… ha ha ha… a day break… ha ha ha… from practice… Ha ha ha…" Gakuto said.

"We had… ha ha ha… a more intense practice… ha ha ha… than ever… ha ha ha…" Shishido said, his towel covering his head.

Jirou smiled, nodding. He was fully awaken, very tired but very happy. It was very exciting playing against Samurai Nanjirou.

"Nanjirou-san… ha ha ha… Thank you very much… ha ha ha…" Sanada said.

"We are… ha ha ha… We are very enlighted… ha ha ha… by your play… ha ha ha… today… ha ha ha… Thank you…" Yukimura panted.

"Thank you very much!" all the regulars chorused.

"Hahahahaha! Dou itashimashite!" Nanjirou said, his racket on his shoulder. "But I must admit, you're not bad. I'm very impressed. You have a lot of potential."

They smiled, feeling happy to be praised by Samurai Nanjirou himself. Nanjirou proceed to point out the strong points and the weakness of each of them, telling them what they need to do so they can become stronger. They carefully listened to him and registered in their head Nanjirou's words. Lastly, Nanjirou turned to Yukimura.

"As for you, you're pretty good too," Nanjirou said. Yukimura smiled at the compliment. "For a girl," Nanjirou finished.

"Heh?" Yukimura's smile wiped off. He wasn't sure that he heard what he thinks he heard Nanjirou said.

"Pffffffffffffffffff!" his team mates snickered.

"Not to mention that you're a pretty cute one too," Nanjirou continued between his teeth.

"Heh!" Yukimura didn't hear wrong.

"Hmn hmn hmn hmn!" Suffocated laugh of his team mates.

"I'm glad that bishoujo have a strong and pretty girl like you as her friend," Nanjirou continued.

"But…" Yukimura said.

"Hihihihihihihihihihihi!" Laugh from behind.

"Hey, why don't you come here more often?" Nanjirou said to Yukimura, grinning. "I'm sure that if bishoujo hangs more often around you, maybe she would be able to get rid of her tomboyish behavior and become more feminine, more lady-like, just like you."

"Ah errrr…" Yukimura tried to correct Nanjirou's misunderstanding.

"Hohohohohohoho!"

"Can you teach her how to dress properly like a girl should?" Nanjirou continued, cutting Yukimura from his explanations. "For example, dresses and skirt. Preferably, mini skirt. And… (_**Tonk! Thwack! **_Two hits on the head, from a frying pan and a tennis ball.) Outch!" Nanjirou turned around to see his wife and his daughter standing her service position. They were exactly in the same position. Like mother, like daughter people would said.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! What was that for, Rinko, Ryoma?" Nanjirou yelled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nanjirou, you're hopeless!" Rinko said. "What you are doing is call paedophilia! This young lady is still underage, for Heaven sake! You should be put in prison for that!"

"But I…" Yukimura tried again.

"Hmn hmn hmn hmn hmn hmn!" Laugh from behind again.

"Oyajii, I can't believe that you're also a bisexual!" Ryoma said. "Not only you perv over girls, but also on boys. And worst of all, on Yukimura-senpai too!"

"Hey, I'm not bi! I'm not interested in boys! How can you call this pretty girl a boy! That's very rude from you, bishoujo!" Nanjirou argued with Ryoma.

"But I am…" Yukimura tried again.

"Hahahahahahhahahahahahaha!"

"Yukimura-senpai is a BOY, for Peter's sake!" Ryoma yelled.

"What are talking about?" Nanjirou retorted. "A boy cannot be that pretty! She's a girl!"

"Echizen-chan is right. I'm a…" Yukimura tried again.

"Wuahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"See for yourself!" Ryoma said to Nanjirou. She went to Yukimura and patted his chest.

_Pof pof pof!_

The shirt revealed a flat chest.

"See! This is a boy's chest!" Ryoma said.

"What? No way!" Nanjirou went to Yukimura and,

_Pof pof pof!  
_

_'Huh?' _Nanjirou blinked.

_Pof pof pof!  
_

_'It's… It's kind of flat__…__' _Nanjirou frowned.

_Pof pof pof!  
_

To have an irrevocable confirmation, Nanjirou lift up Yukimura's shirt.

Flat.

It was flat.

Flat like a boy's chest.

A boy's chest.

A boy…

. . .

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Nanjirou yelled and stepped back, pointing a finger in Yukimura's face. "You're… You're… YOU'RE A BOY!"

"Yes," Yukimura said, smiling dazzingly.

_**"BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

This time, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikimaru and Momoshiro erupted. Ryoga joined with them too. Fuji and Jirou also laughed, but not loud. Yanagi, Yagyuu and Oshitari tried to act like gentlemen and suppressed their laugh, but they miserably failed. Their body were trembling from too much effort and their face were red. Shishido, Gakuto, Kaido and Ooishi looked at Nanjirou with round eyes, like fish out of water. Inui recorded the data on Ryoma's father in his notebook. Sanada and Tezuka were frozen while Atobe was twitching an eye. Atobe don't know if he should laugh of not. Kabaji was Kabaji.

"You're really a boy?" Rinko asked Yukimura.

"Hai, Echizen-san," Yukimura nodded.

"Hmnn…" Rinko thought a moment. "Oh! I remember now. You must the pretty-girl boy Ryoma had talked about!"

"What?" Oshitari said.

"The pretty-girl…" Tezuka repeated.

"…boy…?" Sanada completed.

"Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!**_ WUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**" This time, the regulars and Ryoga exploded, clutching their stomach and crying tears.

"No! It's not possible! I cannot have touch a boy! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! This is terrible! Aaaaaaaaaaaah! I must clean my hands! I must clean my hands! I must clean my hands!" Nanjirou repeated over and over, as if he was mad.

He turned to his wife.

"Rinko, only you can heal me. Let me touch you breast! (_**Pang!** _Another frying pan on his head.) Outch!"

"You impossible pervert!" Rinko mumbled through her teeth, her right eye twitching.

"Nanako-chan, how about you? Won't you help your uncle and let me-…! (_**Punch! **_A punch in his face.) Outch!"

"Kyaaaaaaah! Ojii-san wa ecchi (2)!" Nanako yelled.

Last hope remained. Nanjiro turned to Ryoma.

"Bishoujo, let me-…!"

He immediately stopped. The atmosphere suddenly became very tense, very cold and VERY dark.

Nanjirou gulped and turned around to see a red eyed giant Rinko with a frying pan in her hand, an equally red eyed giant Ryoga with a racket in his left hand and a ball on his right, and an also red eyed hissed Karupin with his claws out. A strange black aura was emitting from their bodies. Behind them, thunder struck.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! / Rawwwwrrrrrrrr!" The mother, the son and the cat growled menacingly.

"Ah… I mean it's a joke, only a jo-…!" Nanjirou tried to calm them, his face blue, heavily sweating cold.

_Pang! Pang! Pang! Pang!  
_

_Thwack! Thud! Pouch! _

_Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!_

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Nanjirou yelled. He was sent rolling to the wall where he collapsed, head upside down, eyes twirling. "Ara ara ara ara ahhhh…" Nanjirou whimpered.

"Ahou…" Ryoma mumbled, twitching her left eye.

"Damn you, oyajii!" Ryoga yelled, his fist raised. "You are really a sick bastard!"

"How can you even think like that about Ryoma?" Rinko asked, seriously mad, a huge red vein twitching on her head.

"Meoooooooow maw maw maw maw rarwwwwwwwww!" Karupin added.

Next ensued a concert of colorful words from Rinko and Ryoga addressed to Nanjirou. They also hit him, kicked him and did any kind of torture to him at each words they said. Karupin had his part too with his claws, his teeth and and neighs. They completely forgot about the guests in the house.

"This is…" Inui started.

"…Echizen…" Yanagi continued.

"…Nanjirou…" Oshitari said.

"…the invincible…" Kirihara said.

"…Samurai…?" Marui added.

"…It's…" Niou pursuit.

"…hard…" From Ootori.

"…to believe…" Hiyoshi ended.

Shishido, Gakuto, Kikumaru and Momoshiro nodded.

"Ochibi-chan, why didn't you tell us that Samurai Nanjirou was your father?" Kikumaru asked.

"I didn't know that he was that famous. Anyway, it's embarrassing to have an old man like him as father," Ryoma answered, grunting. Yuuta chuckled. He knows what Ryoma means with the entire story she told him from her family.

"But even if he's a pervert, he's totally inoffensive. He only enjoys collecting questionable magazines, but he won't set his eyes on anyone else other than on his wife," Yuuta said.

"Otherwise, kaa-san will make him pay to the last drop of his pervert blood," Ryoma said. She sighed and turned to Yukimura, bowing to him. "I'm sorry, Yukimura-senpai. Even if oyajii has a sick pervert twisted brain, I assured you that he had no bad intentions."

"Huhuhuhu!" Yukimura chuckled. "It's all right. You don't have to worry about that."

"Arigatou, senpai," Ryoma said.

* * *

After a moment, the commotion behind stopped.

"Since you are here, why don't you stay and eat with us?" Rinko asked the visitors with a charming smile, as a true hostess should do.

No one would think that this charming, graceful, beautiful and nice lady could have anything to do with the poor beat up, all bloody and scratched out dead body behind her.

The visitors sweat dropped.

_'Echizen Nanjirou is invincible on the tennis court, but facing his wife, he has not a chance,'_ they thought.

"It's very nice from you, Echizen-san, but we don't want to impose ourselves any longer," Yukimura said.

Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro, who were beaming at Rinko's invitation, suddenly became sad.

"Oh no! You're not imposing at all. It's a pleasure for me," Rinko said. "You have taken very good care of Ryoma that I want to thank you again. Beside, you must be very hungry after playing tennis so long with that pervert over there," she said, thumbing the corpse behind her.

"Ah, but…"

"There are plenty of food. It will be a waste if you don't eat it."

"Buchou, it's rude to refuse an invitation from a lady!" Kirihara interrupted Yukimura.

"Yeah, you can hurt her feelings like that, you know!" Marui added.

"It's not the way a gentleman should behave," Niou said.

"And it's not right to waste food either," Ootori said. Kikumaru and Momoshiro eagerly nodded.

_'They only think about their stomachs,' _Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu thought.

"I insist," Rinko said.

Yukimura smiled, resigned.

"Then we shall happily accept your invitation," Yukimura said.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro cheered. Rinko and Nanako chuckled.

* * *

The table was set. It was covered with a lot of food. It was a feast, a real feast.

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

"Suge (3)!" Niou said.

"Uma sou (4)!" Kikumaru said.

"It smell good too, like always," Ootori said, taking a deep breath. Jirou nodded, agreeing. Nanako chuckled.

"Then let's start now," Nanjirou invited.

"ITADAKIMASU!"

They dug in the food as if they didn't eat anything for days. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro didn't care about their manners. They gulped their food like pigs. They were very hungry, after the matches they had with Nanjirou. Shishido, Gakuto, Hiyoshi and Ooishi looked at them, feeling a little bit embarrassed. Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu weren't that happy about their lacks of manners. Jirou, Hiyoshi and Oshitari didn't care about them and just ate. Yanagi and Inui did the same. Yukimura and Fuji thought that they were funny to look at.

_'And I thought that they were raised like proper gentlemen,' _Ryoma thought as she chew her rice, her eyes closed, trying to ignore them. _'But it's true that I never saw them acting like gentlemen anyway.'_

_Plick!_

One of her shrimp got stolen.

"Hey Kirihara! Get your own shrimps over there and don't touch mine!" Ryoma yelled. She started a battle for the food with Kirihara. Apparently, Ryoga, Marui, Niou and Ootori thought it was a game so they joined in too. They preferred the shrimps in the nearly empty plate in front of Ryoma instead of the shrimps in the other plates. Yukimura, Fuji and Yuuta chuckled while the others laughed at Ryoma's dismay.

"Yuuta-kun," Rinko said as she put a hand on Yuuta's shoulder.

"Ah, Echizen-san."

"Here, this is for you," Rinko said, putting a bowl of soup in front of Yuuta. "It's a special recipe in my family. I also add some medicinal herbs. You're just out of the hospital and you're still recovering. It will help you to heal faster. It's very good to rebuilt the ligaments and the muscles of your shoulder."

"Ah! Arigatou Echizen-san," Yuuta said. Rinko smiled at him and left. Yuuta started to drink the soup.

Fuji didn't miss the whole scene. He was impressed and touched by what Ryoma's mother did for Yuuta. Yuuta was not of the Echizen family, yet Ryoma's mother thought about him and prepared something special for him to recover faster. After the games they played against Nanjirou, Fuji saw the monk took Yuuta away. Fuji followed them to see Nanjirou teaching Yuuta some movements to help him putting least burden on his shoulder while playing. He also recommended a series of exercises to help his shoulder.

Fuji looked at Ryoma, who was now fighting for the fried fish against Ryoga, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori. From what Yuuta told him, it was Ryoma who was the first person who told him to stop using the Twist Spin Shot. Yuuta didn't listen to her at first because of his stubbornness. But when he was in the hospital, Ryoma didn't make him feel bad because he didn't listen to her advices. On the contrary, she even asked her father of a way to help him. Nanjirou told Ryoma to bring Yuuta home once he was released from the hospital and he will personally take care of Yuuta.

_'She was the one who told me to tell you, by myself, when I will be released from the hospital,' _Yuuta once told him.

Fuji now opened his eyes, still set on Ryoma.

_'So it was her who provoked the change in Yuuta,' _Fuji thought.

He remembered the time when he apologized to her for bumping into her. She took her responsibility and admit herself that she was also at fault, that she didn't pay attention while walking.

_'She is a very nice girl.'_

It was her who helped him, without knowing what she did it, to restore his sibling relationship with Yuuta.

Unaware of what he he was doing, Fuji smiled, a soft and tender expression on his eyes.

_'Ryoma, you did something wonderful for me. I owe you a big favour,'_ Fuji thought.

* * *

(1) senshounen: young boy;

(2) ojii wa ecchi: "Uncle is a pervert". The "wa" is written "ha".

(3) suge: from "sugoi", equivalent to wonderful, incredible;

(4) uma sou: from "umai", which means tasty. "Uma sou!" is similar to "It looks so yummy!".


	21. Ryoma's cooking talent: crap!

"Gochisou-sama deshita (1)!" all the boys chorused. Rinko and Nanako giggled.

"Fioufffffffff…" Momoshiro sighed, petting happily his bulging stomach.

"That was really good, nyah!" Kikumaru said.

"My stomach is full…" Kirihara said

"I cannot eat anything anymore," Ootori said.

"Oh! That's regrettable," Rinko said. "There is still the dessert!"

"_**DESSERT!!!**_"

Rinko caught their interest.

"But since you said that you cannot eat anything more…" Rinko said again, sighing. She pretended to be disappointed, purposely teasing them.

"Echizen-san, a dessert is not a meal," Niou said, drooling.

"There is always a special place for dessert!" Marui added. Kirihara, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro vividly nodded.

Hearing that, Rinko smiled, but she was laughing inside. When it comes to food, they are similar to Ryoma. Nanako, Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

"Ah, that's a good new then," Rinko said. "Why don't you go outside to enjoy the fresh breeze of the night? Nanako, Ryoma and I will bring you the dessert soon."

"HAI!"

* * *

The dessert was a small cake decorated with various fruits: peach, pineapple, grape, strawberry, blueberry, melon or cherry. It was colorful. The fruits were covered with a honey color syrup. And the smell sweet. It was obvious that it was a light dessert. It wasn't rich so it won't be heavy on the stomach. Just the perfect dessert after a huge meal. The taste was really good, but…

"Hum… The shape of this cake is somehow strange…" Marui said. Niou and Ootori nodded, agreeing.

"What do you mean?" Momoshiro asked.

"Well, we are used to Echizen-san's cooking now. Usually, what she made has a completed shape, perfectly done. However, this time is different," Yanagi said. He was holding his cake at the level of his eyes, examining it from every angles.

"I have the impression that my cake is a deflated tire on one side," Ootori said.

"Me, I have a fat ladybug swimming in honey," Marui said, looking at his big strawberry.

"Two small ladybugs with sea sickness," Niou described his green grapes.

"A green eye vampire who is sick," Kirihara said. He also has green grapes with strawberry.

"A drown fish that stares blankly at me with its blue eyes," from Shishido, who has a slice of peach with blue berries.

"An abstract sculpture?" Oshitari wondered.

"A failure of the modern sculpture," Atobe said.

"A monster who has a toothache," Gakuto said.

"A carnivorous flower which is puking a green caterpillar," Yagyuu said.

"A poisonous mushroom with a cold," Momoshiro said.

"A cat who has one ear bitten," Kikumaru said.

"A fat puppy who got ran over by a car," Hiyoshi said.

"Fssssssssssssssssssssssh!" Kaido said.

"But the taste is good," Fuji said.

"Even if the shape and the decoration is doubtful," Yuuta added, examining his cake like Yanagi did.

As the boys shoot their comments from right to left, Yukimura was trying very hard to refrain himself from laughing as he watched Ryoma. The girl has a pretty incredibly big number of red veins twitching on her head. Each comment from the guys got a new vein popping out. But she hasn't say anything yet. Ryoga was desperately trying to not laugh, his two hands coverings his mouth, tears in the corners of his eyes. Nanjirou was doing the same thing as him.

"Echizen-san," Kirihara asked Rinko.

"Yes?" Rinko answered.

"What happen to you when you did the dessert? Did you have an accident?" Kirihara asked.

"What makes you think so?" Rinko asked, smiling.

"Well, it seems like your hands were a little bit aloof when you did the decoration," Kirihara said.

"Yeah, as if your fingers were inflated or that you were wearing big gloves," Marui said.

"Or maybe you were holding something very heavy while decorating the cakes," Niou said.

"The decoration is really bad," Ootori concluded. "Really really bad."

Ryoma snapped.

_'I should have put poison in the preparation!'_ she thought.

"Hey! If you don't like the cake, then don't eat it! And stop making your horrible comments! It's offending!" Ryoma yelled.

"Whoa whoa, Ochibi-chan! Calm down," Kikumaru said.

"We were only saying what were sincerely thinking," Marui said.

"We don't mean to offend your mother," Niou said.

"On the contrary, it's because we respect her that we tell her our true thinking!" Ootori said.

"But you must admit, Echizen. The decoration is very bad, unless you have no artistic senses at all!" Momoshiro said.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Ryoma growled.

_'Ungrateful jerks! After all the pain I had to make them dessert. I should have put something that slowly kills them with a lot of pain before the final dead blow!'_ she thought again.

"Wuahahahahahahahaha!" Ryoga and Nanjirou exploded. They could not hold themselves back anymore. It was too funny.

"Actually, the dessert was made by Ryoma-chan," Nanako said.

"She have been learning to cook recently and she wanted to help. So she made the dessert for you," Rinko explained.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" they all exclaimed.

"Echizen made this?" Gakuto said.

"Then I'm no longer surprised by the strange shape and strange decoration of the cake," Yuuta said.

They all nodded, agreeing with Yuuta.

_Twitch! Pop!_

On Ryoma's head appeared a new vein.

"BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"Oyajii, aniki, urusai!" Ryoma yelled.

* * *

"It was a wonderful feast, Echizen-fusai. Thank you very much for receiving us," Tezuka said, bowing.

"Thank you very much," the guys said, bowing too. Rinko chuckled.

"It was a real pleasure to meet you. Please come over again when you have free time," Rinko said.

"Hmn!" Nanjirou nodded.

"Pssst! Pssst! Come here!" Ryoga secretly called Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori, a little bit away from where the others were standing. They approached him, curious.

"What is it?" Marui asked in a small voice. Ryoga gave him something.

It was a calendar.

"Why a calendar?" Niou asked.

"What for?" Ootori asked.

"This calendar is your life saver," Ryoga said. "Circled in red are the days of Chibisuke's PMS period. Do you still remember kaa-san angry, when she beat oyajii with her frying pan?"

The boys, remembering what happened a few hours ago, nodded.

"Well, compared to Chibisuke when she's in her PMS period, kaa-san is a sweet angel, even angry," Ryoga said.

The boys popped their eyes out of their head and turned to look at Ryoma. Right now, she was talking calmly to Yukimura and Fuji, smiling.

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Don't piss her off, don't make her angry during the red days, especially if you bear a Y-chromosome in your DNA."

The boys turned blue and bit their lips, their body shaking. Marui clutched his hands firmly around the calendar, holding preciously against him.

"Thank you Ryoga-san, we will keep this preciously," Marui said, his body shaking. Kirihara, Niou and Ootori nodded to Ryoga. Their body were shaking madly too.

* * *

"Yuuta-kun, take this," Rinko said as she gave him a small pot.

"Euh… What is it?" Yuuta asked, opening the pot. Inside was a white cream with a nice smell emitted from it.

"It's a massage cream," Rinko said. "I always use it to massage Nanjirou, Ryoga and Ryoma. It will relax your muscles when they are tired. It will help you too."

"Ah!" Yuuta smiled. "Thank you, Echizen-san."

"Dou itashimashite."

Fuji didn't miss the exchange between Rinko and Yuuta.

"Then, see on Monday at school, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said to Ryoma.

"Hai. Arigatou, senpai-tachi. See you on Monday too," Ryoma said.

"Bye bye, Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru winked at her.

"See you next week," Niou said.

"See ya!"

"Bye!" Ryoma greeted them a last time. Then, they left.

Before going, Fuji slipped a last glance to Ryoma. Ryoma got caught off by Fuji's cerulean orbs fixed on her. She blushed. Unsure about what to do, she simply bowed to him. Fuji smiled at her and nodded his head as a last greeting. They, he joined Yuuta to go back home.

* * *

That night, in his bedroom, Fuji was thinking about what happened today. But one person particularly occupied his thinking, a certain Seiyou female tennis regular.

_'Echizen Ryoma__…'_

Fuji look through his window.

_'For sure, you're an unusual girl__…'_

Fuji had never meet a girl like her. She is antisocial and too cocky for her own good. But she lives up to her cockiness. Her skills and talent in tennis are truly incredible. As for her antisocial side, she hates socializing with people, but people are mysteriously attracted to her. In the tennis club, she was like a magnet in the middle of many iron bars. While she wishes to be left alone, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru are always around her - if not suffocating her with their presence. Even the cold and arrogant Yagyuu accepted her around him.

Fuji remembered the first day he met her. It was…

_'Umm… a kind of very brutal first impression…'  
_

Fuji chuckled.

Brutal, yes, not certainly not annoying. Not boring like the first impression of all the other girls he met before. Her first reaction was yelling at him and not blushing, like the other girls always do.

When a stranger bumped into you and you got threw on the ground, it's normal to be angry. But if this stranger happen to be Fuji Syuusuke, you will apologize to him for having step in the middle of his way. And if you don't know that he is Fuji Syuusuke, he will make you apologize to him anyway: by letting you the (rare) privilege to his eyes opened. Eyes that made anyone person feel uneasy by its presumptuous glare from someone from the high social elite.

Yet, Echizen Ryoma didn't back off even though Fuji glared arrogantly down to her. She stood up all her might against him and even glared back to him. Fuji admitted to himself, he was disturbed, but highly impressed. No one ever did this before to him. And he even admired her, for standing for her rights, for not letting overwhelming power crushed her.

Fuji remembered the revolting expression in her golden orbs.

_'I never saw anyone with such beautiful eye color and such frankness before.'  
_

He thought that it was because she didn't really know who he was. But even after that she learned about his true position and his power in the school, she didn't change her attitude toward him. Seriously, Fuji had thought about making her pay for behaving like this toward him, making her suffer in school. But since he was Fuji Syuusuke, he won't lowered himself to such undignified behaviors. He had decided to wait a little bit longer, thoroughly studying her so he can find her weak spot and strike. Until he finds the weakness, he will behave as himself around her, cold and arrogant.

But the unexpected happened.

Yuuta.

Yuuta's behavior toward him changed. Little by little. During the first visits to Yuuta at the hospital, Yuuta don't greet him, and even seemed bothered by his presence. Later one, Yuuta started to listen to him. Then, accepted his presence.

Then the big change happened. Yuuta talked to him. Yuuta happily greeted him when he came to visit him at the hospital. And Yuuta told him to forgive himself, telling him that it wasn't his fault for his shoulder.

It didn't take long for Fuji to figure out that the change in Yuuta was done by a friend who regularly visit him at the hospital, bringing him magazines, DVD and sometime sweets. That friend happened to be a mysterious girl. Yuuta always mentioned about that friend of his, time by time. Seeing Yuuta talked back to him, Fuji was so happy that he let skip many thing, as the girl's name, what was she, how did she meet Yuuta, etc.. Those things didn't matter to Fuji. Yuuta talked to him. For Fuji, it was the most wonderful thing that happened to him.

And when Yuuta called him on his cellphone to tell him when he will be released from the hospital, Fuji's happiness reached its highest level. That day, Fuji truly smile, a sincere smile that he didn't know he could do. It was then that Fuji thought about wanting to know more about that mysterious girl friend of Yuuta, to thank her for what she did. He wanted to know who was the girl that Yuuta so eagerly wanted to present her to him.

But what a surprising news when he learned that the girl he was so curious to know about was someone he sees everyday, but under boy garnment, and by the name of Echizen Ryoma. The girl that he was curious about was the boy that Fuji wanted to make him pay for standing against him.

_'Echizen-chan… you're were interesting person…'_

From that day, Fuji sees Ryoma with new eyes. She amused him. She was entertaining.

Fuji smiled.

It was the first time that he ever felt entertained and amused by someone.

_'It feels different, but I like it.'_

But let see how long can she hold his interest toward her.

_'I'm starting to like you, Echizen-chan__…'  
_

Fuji stopped momentary, thinking again.

No, it doesn't seem right.

Then he tried again.

_'__I'm starting to like you, __Ryoma-chan…' _

Fuji smiled.

_'Yes, that sounds much better…'_

He flopped on his pillow.

_'Ryoma-chan…'_

And he felt asleep with this last thought.

* * *

(1) gochisou-sama deshita: thank you for the good meal. Can also be shorten as "Gochiso-sama". You say that after a meal.


	22. Cinderella part 1: Cake and sorting

A/N: Probably some of you had noticed it. I rewrote the last chapter, the 21, making it a little bit longer. I focused on Fuji's thinking about Ryoma. See around the end of the chapter if you want to know what does it look like. Please, tell me what you think about it.

And YAAAY! I reached the 200 reviews!

Anyway, now the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

In the green house.

"So everyone, there will be a party at school tonight before the summer vacations and we thought that the tennis club could perform a play," Inui said.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!"

"Why must we do that?" Kirihara asked.

"We are the tennis club, not the drama club!" Ryoma protested.

"We play tennis. We don't play play!" Kirihara insisted.

"I don't see why we must do a play!" Ryoma concluded.

"It's because this is a special request from all ours fans," Yagyuu said simply.

_'Yuck!'_ Kirihara and Ryoma thought.

"Indeed, like Yagyuu said, this is a special request from our fans," Yanagi said. "They send us a letter with the signature of each of their members. We must answer to their request."

"Ahhh…" Kirihara and Ryoma sighed in despair.

"So, what are we playing?" Marui said.

"Fairy tales," Sanada grunted.

"_**FAIRY TALES!**_ Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Kirihara and Ryoma strangled themselves until they collapsed on the table from lack of oxygen.

"Ahou," Marui said. Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

"What fairy tales?" Niou asked. Inui pulled out a paper.

"Look at this," Inui said as he put the unfold paper on the table.

"The president of the fan club gave us a list of the stories they would like to see us do. They said we can choose the one we want," Yanagi said.

"Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty…" Shishido read as he scanned the paper.

"Hey! They are all princess stories! We don't have girl to play princess role! We only have boys!" Ootori said. Someone tapped Ootori's shoulder.

"Ootori, remember, we have one girl in the team," Oshitari said, pointing at Ryoma. Ootori turned to look at Ryoma.

"Ah! That's right! I completely forgot that she's actually a girl! She's so tomboyish that it's hard to tell! But how can anyone tell that this cocky, skinny, short, unfeminine, ungraceful, lacking of sex-appeal, flat chest tomboy is actually a gir-… (_**WHAMP!**_) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ootori lay dead on the ground, eyes swirling.

"Ahhhhh…" he whimpered. He got knocked out by Ryoma's delicate and graceful hands (A/N: Hmm… Well, maybe not that delicate and graceful…) with something big. What something? A table. The table around which they sat. The table on which displayed their snacks.

Marui, seeing Ryoma's action coming, snatched the strawberry cake away to keep it safe. Yukimura, who was going to pour himself a cup of tea, wondered how his cup was now on the ground as he watched the liquid poured down into nowhere. Kabaji was acting as Atobe's personal table as he was holding Atobe's plate while Atobe drank his cup of tea. It was a chance that Fuji took his portion of cake, because only 0.1 seconds too later, and it would have ended like Kirihara. Kirihara, who was leaning on his elbow on the table, stumbled on the ground, his face in the dirt. Jirou, who was snoring on the table, was now snoring on the ground, next to Kirihara. Niou blinked twice. He wondered why the cake he was eating didn't end up in his mouth but all over his face. Tezuka and Sanada sighed.

_'Well, it's true what Ootori said about her, but I won't say it out loud!' _Shishido and Gakuto thought.

_'I don't want to end like him!' _Momoshiro and Hiyoshi thought.

_'I value my life more than that!'_ they all thought.

"Fsssssssssssssssssh!" Kaido said. Yagyuu leaned near Yanagi.

"Yanagi, what is today's date?" Yagyuu whispered. Yanagi was going to answer when he and Inui remembered something very important.

"Inui, could it be…" Yanagi asked. Inui flipped through his notebook and checked his calendar. Marui gave him the calendar he received from Ryoga. Yanagi and Inui made a copy and kept it.

"Yes. It's today…" Inui trailed off.

"What? You mean that today is…" Oshitari said.

_'_…_today it's the first day of her PMS time!'_ they finished in their heads. They looked at Ryoma, whose face was lowered. Ryoma slowly raised her face. Her eyes were closed, like Fuji's. And she was smiling. She _**SMILED**_? Yes. She was smiling. She was smiling a beautiful smile with glitter and flowers around her.

_Sparkle! Skarkle! Sparkle!_

"Ootori-senpai, what did you say again?" Ryoma asked nicely, head slightly tilted in a cute way.

_Sparkle! Skarkle! Sparkle!_

Seeing that pretty, adorable, sparkling, flowerish smile, they turned blue from pure fright, their bodies shaking madly and they broke out in a cold sweat. Except the three buchous, Oshitari, Fuji, Yagyuu, Yanagi, Inui and Kabaji; they were frightened by her.

"Iie (1)… Absolutely nothing… You were just hearing things! I didn't say anything at all… Ha ha ha…" Ootori said, fearing for his life if he gave the wrong answer.

"Aa sou ka. Very good then," Ryoma NICELY answered, smiling beautifully again, her eyes still closed like Fuji's. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

_Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle!_

Shivers ran down their back against and they felt very cold.

_'She's scary when shes smiles like that!'_ people thought. They began to think that they preferred Fuji's sadistic smile to her pretty smile.

_'Note to self: never piss her off during her PMS period!'_

Marui, to make thing easier, sliced a piece of the strawberry cake.

* * *

Flashback

When Ryoga gave Marui Ryoma's PMS periode calendar.

"During her PMS periods, always have Japanese foods or sweets with you. Feed her with a hundred percent Japanese foods will save your life," Ryoga said. "If you don't have Japanese foods, you can tame her with sweets and cakes."

End flashback

* * *

Marui sliced a **BIG** portion of strawberry cake. There was enough for two people.

"Here Echizen-chan, an extra portion just for you," he said as he handed her the cake. Ryoma magically transformed. She now has a huge happy smile. She put the table back and proceeded to eat the cake, forgetting about everything around her. Marui looked up, showing off a V sign. They all gave him their thumbs up.

_'Good job, Marui!'_ they silently told him.

* * *

"Now, let's get back to business," Inui said. People took back their place around the newly placed table and listened while Niou washed his face.

"So, which story do you prefer?" Yanagi asked.

"None," Ryoma, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Shishido answered. Yanagi and Inui sweat dropped.

_'I should have expected this answer from them!'_ they thought.

"Then let's do a random drawing," Oshitari took a pen and a paper, which he tore into many little pieces. He wrote the name of a tale on one piece paper and folded it. Ooishi brought out a little box in which Oshitari put all the papers. Then, he shook the box to mix the paper.

"Inside are all the tales our fans want us to do. We will do the play which is picked. Who will pick?" Oshitari said, holding the small box in front of them. They looked at the box, gulping, as it was a box from hell. Well, considering the actual situation, anything from this box was from hell for them.

"Echizen, you pick!" Kirihara said, pushing her to the box while he hid behind her.

"Huh? Why me? Why not you?" Ryoma protested.

"You're a kouhai (2)! Do what your senpai tell you to do!" Kirihara retorted.

"You're a senpai! Do you responsibility and show the right example! So you do it!" Ryoma retorted back.

"Arrrrrgh! Who cares?" Marui said, holding his head in his two hands.

"Just do it!" Niou added. Niou and Marui pushed Ryoma to the box, her nose coming to 1 cm to the small box. Gulping, she slowly put a trembling hand inside the box. Looking at her, everyone could tell that she was scared that she might be bitten by a piece of paper. After what seemed to be an eternity, she finally pulled out a paper.

"What is it?" Kikumaru asked. Gulping again, Ryoma slowly unfolded the paper with her trembling fingers. When she saw what was written inside, she felt backward, consciousness lost.

"Aaaaaaah!" Kirihara yelled as she felt on him. Both of them tumbled on the ground. Unconscious Ryoma, lying on the top of the knocked out Kirihara.

"Echizen!" Oishi fussed around her in his mother-hen mode as Kawamura tried to fan her fresh air. Ryoma let slip the paper she was holding in the air and Marui caught it. Marui and Niou read the paper.

"_Cinderella_?" they yelped.

"So it's decided. We will play Cinderella," Inui concluded.

* * *

"But there is a problem. The Cinderella story has more than one female character. And I don't think Echizen can play all the female characters at the same time," Shishido said, scratching his head.

"Well, obviously, some of us have to cross-dress!" Gakuto said.

"How about the casting?" Oshitari asked.

"How about you suggest who plays what? If you got proposed a role and you don't protest against it, then we will take it that you accept it," Yanagi said. "Unless there is a role you want to play."

"Then I shall be the king," Atobe said, flipping his hair in a majestic move.

_'We should have known that, coming from him!' _everyone thought.

"Yukimura can be the fairy godmother," Marui proposed.

"Uh… I don't mind," Yukimura said.

"Who will be the step-sisters?" Oshitari asked.

"How about Momoshiro and Kaido? Those two are like brothers to me, so they can be sisters," Kikumaru proposed. Marui, Niou, Ootori, Shishido and Gakuto imagined Momoshiro and Kaido in a dress, with their built up body. Their face turned blue and they shivered.

"Nah!" they chorused. Momoshiro's and Kaido's faces were bluer than the others. The thought of the two of them being brothers or sisters just disgusted them.

"Why don't you do it, Marui?" Ootori asked.

"Why me? Why not you?" Marui retorted.

"Why me?" Ootori asked.

"Because you proposed it," Marui said. "And why don't you do it with Niou too?"

"Hey! Why do you add me in with him?" Niou said.

"Because you two have the same hair color!"

"It's a strange reason, but it's noted. Niou and Ootori are the step-sisters," Inui said.

"Hey!" Niou and Ootori protested, but everyone ignored them.

"Anyone for the step-mother?" Yanagi asked. No answer. Except Jirou's snoring. They took Jirou's snoring for a yes.

"So, Jirou is the step-mother," Inui noted down in his notebook.

"Who will be the prince?" Ooishi asked.

"Hey! Can I be the prince?" Marui said.

"No, you can't," Yanagi said.

"I forgot to tell," Inui said. "The fans want Fuji to play the role of the prince."

"Huh? Who? Me?" Fuji said.

"So Fuji will be the prince," Kikumaru decided in Fuji's place for Fuji.

"Ah…" Fuji said, not very sure.

"So all the casts are decided," Oshitari concluded.

"Hey! Wait a second! We forgot the main character," Gakuto pointed out.

"Ah. That's true," Momoshiro said.

"So, who will play Cinderella?" Sanada asked. No one raised hand.

"How about Echizen?" Hiyoshi proposed. They all looked at Ryoma, who was still unconscious.

"She's not protesting, so we can consider it as a yes," Yagyuu said. They nodded, agreeing. Yuuta shook his head, rubbing his forehead.

_'She is unconscious. How can she protest?'_ Yuuta wondered, sighing.

_'She won't like it when she will learn about it!'_ everyone thought, but they really don't care. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

"Fshhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kaido said.

* * *

(1) iie: no;

(2) kouhai: underclassman.


	23. Cinderella part 2: Unconventional play

A/N: This chapter should be post tomorrow, but anyway. Before that, answering various stuff.

**From XXSakuranXX**: After you are done with this, may I request a pure humor story without romance.  
I'm sorry, but I don't think I will be able to write a pure humour story. Actually, I don't even know what a pure humour story looks like… Really sorry… Ha ha… (embarrassed laugh.)

**From happy20**: Make faster updates please!  
Sorry too! Finding ideas to continue the story is already hard. And having to built a new chapter is even harder. I will keep on posting one chapter per week, that's the fastest I can do for now.

Anyway, this chapter is the equivalent of two. Hope it's at your liking. So here the chapter 23 : Seiyou Academy theater club, presenting _**Cinderella**_. Enjoy!

* * *

From last time…

"So, who will play Cinderella?" Sanada asked. No one raised their hand.

"How about Echizen?" Hiyoshi proposed. They all looked at Ryoma, who was still unconscious.

"She's not protesting, so we can consider it as a yes," Yagyuu said. They nodded, agreeing.

* * *

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**_"

Seiyou Academy school jumped high in the air, the birds flew away, cheeping madly. The school fell back on the ground, at its original site.

Ryoma.

In a costume dress.

Her hair done.

And she was not happy.

"HOW COME _I'M_ CINDERELLA?!" she yelled, a vein popping in her head. Okay, not that she was not happy. She was pretty mad. No, scratch that. She was spitting fire.

_Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Twitch! Twitch! Twitch!_

"Well, you didn't protest when the role was proposed to you," Oshitari said.

"What?!"

"It's called a silent consent, Echizen-chan, a silent consent," Yagyuu elaborated.

"But I wasn't even aware of what was happening! How could I have said anything?!" Ryoma argued.

"It was still a silent consent, so you have to do it because we decided so!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Niou chorused.

"_WHAT?!_"

"Echizen, this is a senpai's order," Oshitari said. "Be a good kouhai and do what was decided."

"Argh!" Ryoma growled, but she had no choice. "Hai…"

"So let's start now!" Yanagi said with a script in his hand. Yanagi and Inui were the managers.

* * *

_**Cinderella**_, by the Seiyou Academy tennis club.

"Act I," Ooishi announced.

"Once upon a time, there was a nobleman who had a daughter, whose name was Cinderella," Kirihara, the narrator, started. Kaido and Ryoma appeared on the scene.

"The wife of the nobleman died of sickness when Cinderella was still very young. The nobleman decided to find a new wife to give Cinderella a new mother. He married a widow, who also had two daughters." Niou and Ootori appeared on the scene, carrying a sleeping Jirou by under their arms.

"But not long after, the nobleman died too, leaving Cinderella with her step-mother and her two step-sisters." The scene changed. Kaido was lying in a bed, his hands joined. Ryoma was kneeled next to the bed, praying. The step-mother, who was supposed to cry the dead of her husband, was actually snoring on the other side of the bed. The two step-sisters stood behind her.

"Soon, the real nature of the step-mother was revealed to Cinderella."

"Zzzzz . . . !"

"Oi! Jirou! Say your lines!" Niou whispered as he discreetly nudged Jirou with the tip of his shoe.

"Huh?" Jirou woke up. "What?"

"Say your lines!" Ootori murmured.

"Oh. Yeah. Right," Jirou said as he looked up to Cinderella. "Cinderella, from today, you will be our maid. Clean the house, wash out clothes and cook our meals." And Jirou immediately returned back to snore on the bed. Ryoma, Niou and Ootori sweat dropped. Even the dead father in the bed and the people who were watching the play sweat dropped too.

"Hai, step-mother," Cinderella said.

* * *

"Act II," Ooishi said.

"From that day, Cinderella took care of all the chores in the house." Ryoma entered the scene dressed in a rag dress came on the scene, a broom in one hand, a bucket in the other. A scarf was covering her long green-black hair.

"She cleans the house," Kirihara read.

"Zzzz . . . !"

Ryoma waited.

"Zzzz . . . !"

Nothing happened.

"Zzzz . . . !"

Jirou was supposed to say his lines again, but he was still snoring.

"Zzzz . . . !"

_Pop! _

A vein popped on Ryoma's head. She was getting impatient for waiting for nothing. From outside of the scene, Marui shoot a shoe directly at Jirou's head.

_WHACK!_

"Outch!" Jirou woke up to see Ryoma twitching her eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. Cinderella, clean the stair and scrub the floor." Then, Jirou leaned on the stair case to snore again. Ryoma walked to him, grabbed him by the neck of his dress and dragged him away.

"Step-mother, I cannot clean anything if you are in my way. So get away!" Ryoma said as she dropped Jirou on a divan. Ryoma swept the floor with the broom. Jirou used her bucket as a pillow.

* * *

"Cinderella does the washing and the sewing of the house." While Cinderella was hanging clothes to dry, one step-sister came running to her, shuffling something in her face.

"Cinderella, what have you done to my beautiful dress?!" Ootori yelled. "It's all white and I can no longer find where the neck and the sleeves are!"

"Step-sister 2, this is not your dress. It's a bedspread. Your dress is over there," Cinderella said as she pointed to a apple green dress on the clothes line.

"Ah," Ootori said as he looked to where Cinderella was pointing. He felt stupid. In the audience and behind the scene, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Gakuto snickered. Yuuta laughed too. Ootori grunted.

_'Hey! It's not like I wear dresses everyday! How am I supposed to know what a dress looks like?!' _Ootori thought.

"And call me by my name, damn it!" Ootori said.

"What is your name again?" Ryoma asked.

"My name is…" Ootori stopped, blinking. "Errr… Yeah… That's right…" He turned his head to the backstage and yelled. "Hey you guys back there! What is my name?" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Kikumaru and Momoshiro fell flat on their faces anime style. Oshitari, Hiyoshi, Ooishi and Yuuta sweat dropped.

"Hey, answer me! What is my name again?" Ootori asked.

"You are Janette, Ootori, Janette," Yanagi said.

"Oh, maybe I should ask mine too," Niou said. "Yanagi, what is my name?"

"Antoinette. Antoinette. Ootori, you're Janette. Niou, you're Antoinette," Yanagi reminded them.

"For Heaven sake, you are _impossible_!" Yagyuu disapprovingly shook his head. "At least, learn the _name_ of the character you play."

"Errr… Hai…" Ootori and Niou said sheepishly.

_'They are hopeless!' _Yanagi, Oshitari and Yagyuu thought.

* * *

"Cinderella also cooks the meals," Kirihara continued his narration.

"Cinderella!" Antoinette yelled. "Where is my dinner? I want it now! Hurry and bring it!"

"It's coming," Cinderella answered. Cinderella stirred the soup before scooping it and poured it into a bowl. Then, she retrieved the bread from the oven. She put everything in a tray and brought it to the table, where the step-sisters and the step-mother sat. Jirou was snoring on the table. Cinderella served them the soup and the bread.

"Hey! Why did you give me so little food? Give me more!" Antoinette said.

"Me too!" Janette said. "I want more soup!"

"This is the fifth time we have practiced this scene. I ran out of soup. There's nothing left in the cauldron," Ryoma retorted.

"Ah," Niou and Ootori said.

_'Too bad! The soup was really good!'_ they thought. That was why they wanted to do the scene over and over.

_'So unfair! I wanted to drink the soup too!' _Kirihara and Marui thought.

* * *

"One day, they received an invitation to the palace from the king," Kirihara narrated.

_Knock knock knock!_

Someone knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Cinderella said and she went to open the door. A messenger from the palace was standing at the door, holding a missive. Tezuka unrolled the parchment and started to read.

"By the royal decree: To honor Prince Albert's birthday, a ball shall be organized at the Royal Palace this Saturday night. All the young ladies are invited to attend the ball. Among them, the prince shall choose one to be his bride."

"Ahhhh…" Antoinette and Janette sighed in a fan girl mode.

_'Yuck!' _Niou, Ootori and Ryoma thought, disgusted.

"Do you realize it, Antoinette? I will be the next queen," Janette said.

_'Yucky yuck!' _Ootori thought.

"What do you mean? It's me who will be the next queen!" Antoinette said in a high pitched voice.

_'Oh la la_… _I want to puke now!' _Niou thought.

"What do you mean?! It will be me!"

"No! Me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

Janette and Antoinette started to fight.

"Here are the invitations. Present them when you come to the palace," the messenger said. Because Janette and Antoinette were fighting and the step-mother was snoring on the sofa, the messenger's assistant, Kawamura, gave the invitations to Cinderella.

"Thank you. We are honored and we shall come to congratulate to Prince Albert," Cinderella said. The messenger and his assistant bowed, then left.

* * *

"Act III."

"The day of the ball. Cinderella was very busy," Kirihara told. "She had to help her step-sisters and step-mother to dress up, do their hair and make-up." Cinderella helped Janette to wear her dress.

"Pull the laces hard. I must look like a slim and graceful swan at the ball!" Janette said.

_'Don't puke! Don't puke! It's only a play! It's only a play!' _Ootori reminded himself.

"Hai, Sister Janette," Cinderella said. Ryoma grinned evilly and she pulled with all her strength the laces of the dress.

_'Pay back for making me play Cinderella, you idiot!' _Ryoma thought and she (very very happily) pull harder.

_'Oupffffffffff!' _Ootori chocked. _'Who's the idiot who wrote these lines?! I'm going to kill him!'_

-

Backstage.

"Atchooo!" Marui sneezed.

"What's wrong Marui? Are you sick?" Oshitari asked.

"No. I think someone was thinking about me," Marui said.

-

Then Cinderella turned to fix Antoinette's hair.

"Dress my hair like a princess should be," Antoinette said.

_'Don't puke! Don't puke! It's only a play! It's only a play!' _Niou chanted in his head.

"Yes, Sister Antoinette," Cinderella said. Cinderella took a red flower and planted right in the top of Antoinette's head. With Niou's spiky hair, Antoinette looked like a weird porcupine with a flower on the top of its body.

"Echizen, your artistic senses sucks! Are you really a girl?" Niou said as he looked at himself in the glass. Behind the scene and in the audience, people laughed.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Ryoma's eye twitched.

"Shut up!" she said. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled. Cinderella turned to the step-mother. The step-mother, who was supposed to supervise the preparations for the ball, was snoring in a sofa.

_Pop!_ Twitch.

"Step-mother, the carriage to the palace will be here soon. Would you please wear your dress now?" Cinderella said.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah." Jirou yawned and stood up to go to change clothes. But then, he slumped on Ryoma's shoulders.

_'Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Oupffffffffff!' _Ryoma sighed. _'Guess I have no choice.' _She carried Jirou away to help him change his costume.

"Cinderella, where are my shoes?" Antoinette cringed.

"And my fan! Get it for me!" Janette added.

"Here are you shoes, Sister Antoinette. And here your fan, Sister Janette."

"When Cinderella finally finished helping her step-mother and step-sisters, it was time to leave for the ball," Kirihara said. "However, Cinderella wasn't ready. Yet, she too wanted to go to the ball."

"Zzzz . . . !"

Silence.

"Zzzz . . . !"

_Twitch! Twitch!_

Niou and Ootori rudely kicked Jirou.

"Ahhhh!" Jirou awoke up to see himself in a purple dress. He realized it was his turn again.

"Cinderella, you will not come to the ball with us. You didn't do your chores today. So you will stay here and finish them," the step-mother said.

"Thus, the step-mother and the step-sisters left for the ball. Cinderella remained alone at home."

* * *

"When Cinderella finished her chores, she sat alone in the garden."

"I wish I could go to the ball and see the prince," Cinderella said, pretending to cry.

_'So not true!' _Ryoma thought. _'I'd rather sleep here!'_

"Suddenly, someone magically appeared in front of Cinderella." Yukimura walked out onto the stage. He was dressed in a long blue dress, wearing a hood, a wand in his hand.

"Ah!" Cinderella was surprised. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I am your fairy godmother Cinderella," the fairy mother said.

"My fairy godmother?"

"Yes."

"Why are you here?"

"I came to make your wish come true." The fairy godmother raised his magic wand and the lights went out. When the light turned on, Cinderella was dressed in a beautiful dress and wore glass shoes.

"Now you can go to the ball and see the prince. But remember, Cinderella, you must leave before the 12th chime of midnight. The magic will end and you will return back to normal."

"I understand. Thank you, fairy godmother."

* * *

"Act IV."

In the ball room.

"My loyal subjects," the king Atobe talked in a grand manner.

_'Show off!' _Momoshiro and Gakuto, the guards by his sides, thought.

"It's an honor to have here tonight to celebrate for the prince's birthday," the king continued. "Albert, come and greet our guests." Fuji stepped in the ball room.

"Thank you for all your presence tonight for my birthday. It's an honor for me," the prince said.

"Ahhhh… Prince Albert," some ladies said, sighing dreamily.

"Congratulations on your birthday!"

"Thank you."

"Prince Albert, one of these lovely young ladies shall be your future bride and queen. Let me introduce them to you, Your Highness," the First Minister, Sanada, said.

One by one, the young ladies were introduced to the prince. When all the ladies were presented to the prince, the orchestra, consisting of the members of the music club who helped the play, started to play. And members of the dancing club, also here to help the play, took the scene. They performed the waltz. Graceful girls spinning in their colorful dresses in the arms of their dancing partners. When Cinderella entered the ball room, the entire ballroom stopped dancing and talking in favor of looking at her.

"Ohhhh!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"Magnificient!"

"Marvellous!"

"What a beautiful and lovely young lady," someone said.

"Who is she?" someone else said.

"She must be a princess from a nearby kingdom."

"Mother, do you see her dress? I want the same one."

"Hmph! It's only her lateness which causes people to pay attention to her!"

* * *

Ryoma looked to the right, then to the left. She was embarrassed and a little bit panicked. She knew that the music and the dancing club members were also helping the play, but she didn't know that they were so many people.

"Princess, may I have this dance," someone said. Cinderella turned to see a person bowed in front of her. The young man rose and presented her his hand.

_'Ah!'_

_DOKI!_

_'Fuji-senpai!'_

Ryoma turned completely red. Even if it was only a play, Fuji did look like a real prince in his standing. Ryoma knew his role is to be the prince, but she didn't think that he would look this gorgeous in his white and golden costume. Her heart would not stop bumping _Doki doki doki!_ in her chest. She forgot to say her lines. Wondering had happened to her, Fuji opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Ryoma-chan?" Fuji whispered. Surprised to be called by her first name, Ryoma snapped out of her reverie and remembered that she was still in the middle of the play. Gracefully, Cinderella curtsied before the prince.

"It's an honor for me, Your Highness," Cinderella said. She put her hand into the prince's. The prince kissed her hand and pulled her in his arms for a waltz.

_Fsssssssssssssssssssssssssh!_

Ryoma flushed red and she fumed.

* * *

Cinderella and the prince danced. The whole time she was in Fuji's arms, Ryoma's heart didn't stop thumping wildly in her chest.

_Ba-bump!_ _Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump!_

_Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! _

_'What is it? What is happening to me?!'_ her mind panicked. _'Why is my heart beating so fast? Why is it so hot here?'_

Ryoma, forgotten that she was Cinderella again, felt her cheeks burning.

_'Oh my god! Am I sick? Am I having fever?! It must be that! I'm burning fever so I must be sick with a fever!' _Ryoma concluded. She didn't dare to look up into Fuji's eyes and kept her eyes down.

Fuji felt something was different with Ryoma. Suddenly, she looked to be very shy. Not to mention that she was kind of stiff in his arms. He wondered why.

"Ryoma-chan, relax and follow me lead," Fuji whispered in her ear. His warm breath send shivers down her spine. Ryoma bit her lips.

_'How am I suppose to relax in this situation?!'_

But since Fuji was an excellent dancer, Ryoma let herself be led. On the other hand, Fuji discovered something new about her.

_'Hmm…' _Fuji thought. He opened his cerulean eyes to look down at the flushed Ryoma.

_'She is adorable when she is like this.' _Also, he really enjoyed dancing with her, having her in his arms like this.

_'At the end, t__his play wasn't such a bad idea. Huhuhuhu!'_ Fuji thought, chuckling inside. He pulled her slim waist closer to him and closed his fingers on her hand, smiling (a dazzling princy smile) to her.

"Ahhh_…_" All the female population on the stage and in the audience sighed dreamily, hearts in their eyes.

But Ryoma didn't think the same way as them, nor she had the same opinion as Fuji concerning the play. She tensed even more when he leaned down to her, arching her against him.

_'Urgggggh! This play is very a bad idea! This is embarrassing! Hurry up, you stupid clock! Start chiming already so I can run away!' _her head was screaming. But despite how much she prayed, the clock just wouldn't chime. Ryoma was getting more nervous with each passing second.

_'Argh! Who cares?!'_

And she flew away from Fuji's arms.

"Oh?" the prince was bewildered.

-

From backstage.

"Hey! Isn't Cinderella supposed to leave _**after**_ the first chime of midnight and not _before_?" Shishido asked.

"It was supposed to, but I guess Echizen decided otherwise," Oshitari answered.

-

But Ryoma forgot to do something. A chance the narrator was there to remind her.

"Hey! Echizen!" Kirihara yelled right in the middle of the play. "You're supposed to leave your shoe beh…! (_Thwack! Boom!_) Ara ara ara…" He got knocked out by a shoe, flying out from the backstage, square in his face. The shoe twirled in the air and dropped into Fuji's hand.

"Ah," Prince Albert said. Kirihara stomped on the floor. Backstage and in audience, people sweat dropped.

-

"Hmm… Wasn't Cinderella supposed to _drop_ her shoe instead of throwing_…_ err_… shooting_ it?" Hiyoshi asked.

"She was supposed to. But at least, the shoe ended in the prince's hands, right?" Oshitari said.

"And wasn't Cinderella supposed to leave the scene _gracefully _instead of scampering away as if she had a horde of devils chassing after her?" Shishido asked.

"This is Ryoma we are talking about. It's the best you can get from her. You cannot hope for anything more," Yuuta answered.

"What about the narrator?" Marui asked as he looked at Kirihara, still unconscious. "He's out now."

"Ah_…_" Yagyuu sighed. "Guess I have no choice." He stood up from his chair and went to where Kirihara was. He took Kirihara's costume and wore it. Then, he nudged the dead body with the end of his foot.

_Nudge! Nudge!_

_Stomp!_

"Ouch!"

Down the stage.

* * *

On the huge plasma screen.

"With the glass shoe Cinderella left behind, the prince searched for the mysterious lady who he had danced with during the ball," Yagyuu told.

The prince, accompanied by the First Minister, the messenger and the assistant, went to every house in which a maiden lived and had her try the shoe. Tezuka and Kawamura tried to fit the shoe on every girls.

"Finally, they reached Cinderella's home."

Janette and Antoinette fought to be the first to try the shoe. But because of their large (male) feet, of course the shoe didn't fit them. Then, the prince saw Cinderella in the corner and called her out to try the shoe.

But for unexplained reasons, Cinderella seemed pretty scared - her face was completely red and she completely forgot about the shoe. The prince took care of the matter. He made her sat on the divan, took her small foot in his hand and put the shoe on for her. Ryoma became redder than she was already when Fuji touched her. Meanwhile, Fuji pretty much enjoyed seeing her embarrassed like this. And as expected, the shoe perfectly fit her. After that, Cinderella was brought to the palace, where she married the prince.

Though the story included that the prince and Cinderella were supposed share a kiss at the last scene of the story, that scene… uhmm… didn't turn out so well. When Fuji pull Ryoma to him and tilted her chin so he could kiss her, Ryoma hissed like a scary cat, with all her claws out. Luckily, Fuji acted fast enough to hide the hissing Cinderella and made it as if Cinderella and the prince were sharing a deep kiss.

* * *

Inui pushed the STOP button and the plasma screen shut down. Kabaji turned on the light in the room.

"So, what do you think of your first improvisation?" Inui asked.

"A TOTAL FAILURE!" Ryoma, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori answered all together.

"Huhuhuhu!" Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

"At least, you're honest with the result of your performance," Yagyuu said.

"Surprisingly, the fans and the spectators loved it. Especially the scenes with Cinderella and the prince," Yanagi said. "They requested to have a copy of the whole play on DVD, nothing cut out. Not even the scene where Niou commented on Echizen's artistic senses and when Kirihara got knocked out by the shoe she threw from inside the backstage. They said it was very funny." Ryoma rolled her eyes while Fuji smiled.

_'Well, it's true that I enjoyed myself a lot while playing Cinderella,' _Fuji thought, remembering the scenes he played with Ryoma.

_'I don't mind doing another play, if Ryoma-chan is my princess!' _Fuji chuckled silently. Then he stopped, blinking.

_'Did I just call her 'my princess'?!' _He looked at her. She was pouting. It looked like she was still mad because she got stuck playing the role of Cinderella against her will. Yuuta tried to sooth her, but failed. Well, one must consider that Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were making fun of her. They certainly didn't help Yuuta in his miserable attempt.

'_But she's cute, pouting like that.' _He reflected a moment, observing her again.

_'It's not that bad, calling her my princess.' _Fuji smiled.

"Oh, I should tell you. The fans requested us to do another play again," Oshitari said.

"WHAT?!" Ryoma, Kirihara, Niou and Ootori yelled. Next, Ryoma and Kirihara fainted.

"Ahhhh! Echizen! Kirihara!" Kawamura caught them before they hit the ground. Ooishi panicked and fussed around the two unconscious heads, trying to wake them up.

"So, what's the next play?" Marui asked.

"Snow White," Inui said.


	24. Summer vacations: Kidnapping Ryoma

A/N: Things and stuff.

1) About Ooishi name. Why do I keep writting the name of Seigaku fuku-buchou as as "Ooishi" and not "Oishi"?  
Ooishi's name in Japanese is written with two kanjis, "ookii" and "ishi", "big" and "rock", standing for stability (after all, he is the "mother" of Seigaku.) When the two kanjis are put together, they become "Ooishi", the ending "-kii" of the first kanji droppes. "Oishi" is like a mispelling of "oishii", which means "delicious". That's why I prefere to keep "Ooishi", wich is closer to how his name is written in Japanese.

2) Now, something else. I want to put down a precision. This is a fan fiction, something I write for fun. I am not a professional writer and I'm certainly not a script writer either. I'm perfectly aware that a true script it not written in the way I did with the Cinderella play in the last chapter. To all the other script writers, I'm very sorry if I had offend you with the chapter of Cinderella play. I truly apologize to you (bow). However, I won't re-write it to make it be a real script for a real play. It's not like someone will take that (awful) Cinderella play of mine and actually perform in front of a public! Beside, everybody knows what's the real story of Cinderella, so no need to write it down again in this fanfic. So again, to all the script writers, my deepest and most sincere apologizes for offending you (bow).

And now, back to our stuff. Here for you the chapter 24. Thank you to Lonely Raind and to Shattered Illusiions for beta-reading. Also, with Shattered Illusiions's help, I re-posted some of the previous chapters, beta-ed.

And here chapter 24.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Yawwwwwwwnnnnnnnwn…!" Ryoma, still in her white silk pajamas, yawned as she walked down the stair, Karupin nestled in her arms.

"Ohayou, Ryoma-chan," Nanako greeted her.

"Ohayou, Ryoma," Rinko greeted her.

"Ohayou. Yawwwwwwwwwww!" Ryoma answered and yawned again.

"Yo! Chibisuke! For once I don't have to wake up you!" Ryoga greeted, grinning. He and Nanjirou snickered. Ryoma grunted.

Why had she bother herself to wake up so soon? Today was the first day of the summer vacations. She didn't need to wake up. She could have sleep until noon if she wanted too - or until sunset. But no, Karupin decided that he wanted his mistress to carry him down for his breakfast. He hadn't stopped mewling until Ryoma finally (and reluctantly) decided to comply with his request.

_'Spoiled cat!'_ Ryoma grumbled mentally. But well, she was the one who spoiled him.

"Prrrrrrrrrrrrr…" Karupin purred happily.

"Ryoma-chan, do you have any plans for your summer vacations?" Nanako asked as she set out the breakfast.

"No," Ryoma answered.

"Didn't your senpais invite you to spend the summer with them somewhere?" Ryoga asked.

"They did, but that doesn't mean that I have to accept. Seeing them high on sugar everyday is tiring. I don't want to worn myself out during summer vacations," she said as she picked her chopsticks. Rinko chuckled.

_Ding dong!_

The door bell rang.

"Ryoma, can you answer please?" Rinko asked.

"Hai."

Ryoma set down her chopsticks, stood up and went to the door. She opened it.

"ECHIZEN! IT'S SUMMER VACATIONS! COME WITH US!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori screeched as soon as the door opened.

Ryoma raised her right eyebrow, ticking.

**_BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!_**

She slammed the door in their face.

_'I must still be asleep and I'm having a nightmare. I should go back to bed!'_ Ryoma thought.

She really didn't need to see them today. And certainly she didn't want to see them during her summer vacations too. Summer vacations meant a break. _**A BREAK!**_ She needed a break from them.

"Come on Karupin. Let's go back to bed," Ryoma said as she picked Karupin up.

"Meoooooooooow!"

* * *

Outside the Echizen's household door.

Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori stared at the door, eyes slitted, looking like idiots.

"See, I told you so," Yuuta told them.

Yagyuu held out his hand to Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori.

"You lost the bet," Yagyuu stated blandly.

The four boys took out their wallets and each of them handed to Yagyuu a bill of a hundred dollar.

"There is Plan B," Ootori said.

"Yagyuu, we buy your Plan B," Marui said.

"A hundred for each item," Yagyuu said.

"Deal," Niou said.

Yagyuu gave them a bag with a letter B written in red on it. Inside the bag was a roll of tape, a blanket and a rope. Yagyuu earned seven hundred bills just in a few seconds. He smirked happily as he slid the money into his wallet. The amount of money wasn't important to him, but he just enjoyed winning a bet and making a profit out of it.

* * *

_Ding dong!_

This time, it was Ryoga who opened the door.

"Yes? Yikes!" Ryoga jumped when he saw Kirihara, Marui and Niou holding a tape, a blanket and a rope.

_'What are they planning to do with those things?'_ Ryoga wondered, sweat dropping.

Ryoga soon got his answer. Kirihara, Marui and Niou charged in the direction of Ryoma, who was going to climb the stair, her back facing them.

_'Aaaah!'_ Ryoga hastily stepped away before he got run over.

Kirihara, Marui and Niou attacked.

_**CRASH!!!**_

_**BOOM!  
**_

_**BAM! BAM! BAM!  
**_

_**RIP! RIP! RIP! RIP! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!**_

_**OMNF! OMNF! OMNF!!**_

_**GUG! GUG!**_

_**TUCK!**_

Kirihara gagged Ryoma with the tape. As soon as he was done, Marui covered her in the blanket and Niou secured the struggling girl in the blanket with the rope.

"MMMMMMMNNNNN! MMMMNNNNNNHH! MMMMMMMMMNNRRH!"

"One, two, three. UP!" Kirihara, Marui and Niou lifted her over their heads and scurried away outside.

"Chi… bi… suke…?" Ryoga sweat dropped, looking at them.

"What is it, Ryoga?" Rinko came, asking.

She saw Ootori, Yuuta and Yagyuu. Behind them, she saw Kirihara, Marui and Niou carrying a rather large white struggling object tied with a length of rope to the Benz waiting outside.

"Oh! It's you boys! Good morning," Rinko greeted.

"Good morning, Echizen-san," Ootori, Yuuta and Yagyuu said, bowing politely.

"What brings you here this morning?" Rinko asked, smiling.

"We came to fetch Echizen," Yagyuu said. "We will be leaving soon."

"Oh? I thought Ryoma didn't want to come with you," Rinko said.

"She changed her mind," Ootori said.

_'Yeah. Well, s__he wasn't given a choice,'_ Ryoga and Yuuta thought.

"Ah! But she didn't pack anything," Rinko said.

"Please do not worry, Echizen-san. We will provide her everything she needs," Ootori said.

"Echizen-san, can you give me her passport, please?" Yagyuu requested. "We will need it."

"Of course! Wait here a moment, please," Rinko said. She left the room for a minute, and then re-appeared. She gave Yagyuu Ryoma's passport. "Here."

"Thank you." Yagyuu took out a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Rinko. "This is the address and the phone number of the place where we will be staying. You can call over whenever you want."

"Ah. Thank you," Rinko said as she took the paper.

"Yagyuu, Ootori, Yuuta, hurry up!" Kirihara yelled from the Benz.

"Coming!" Ootori yelled back.

"We will be going now, Echizen-san," Yuuta said.

"Thank you very much for receiving us," Yagyuu said. Ootori, Yagyuu and Yuuta bowed a last time to Rinko and Ryoga. Then, they left.

After that the Benz had disappear from their sight, Ryoga turned to Rinko.

"Kaa-san, they just kidnapped Chibisuke from right in front of us," Ryoga stated.

Rinko chuckled. She had seen everything from the kitchen.

"It will be good for her to spend summer somewhere instead of in her bed," Rinko laughed.

"What kind of mother are you, kaa-san?! Letting a bunch of boys kidnap your own daughter?!" Ryoga demanded.

"A mother who knows what is best for her only precious daughter. Huhuhuhuhuhu!" Rinko chuckled.

Ryoga sweat dropped again.

"Ahhh…"

* * *

"Mmmhhh! Mmmhhhh! Mmmhhh! Mmmhhh! Mmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhh!"

Ryoma struggled to get free. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori set her down and proceeded to remove the rope, the blanket and the tape. When they finished, they saw a very, very mad Ryoma. A furious Ryoma. She looked at them with enraged, demonic eyes.

"Yo! Echizen!" Kirihara greeted her, as if everything was absolutely normal.

"Grrrrrrrrrrr…" She growled, showing her fangs.

"Mawwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrr…"

The boys heard a growl coming from a white fur ball in Ryoma's lap. The ball turned on itself to reveal a brown face with blue eyes. It also showed his fangs. It was Karupin.

"Eh? You took her cat too?" Ootori asked, looking at the angry cat.

Like his mistress, Karupin didn't like being trapped in a blanket and tied down by ropes.

"We didn't realize it," Niou answered sheepishly.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" the mistress and cat growled louder.

The next second, they were on their kidnappers, claws and fangs out.

**_BOOOOOOM!_**

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the boys yelled, screaming for help.

**_BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!_**

**_SCRATCH! SCRATCH!_**

**_BAM! BAM! SCRATCH!_**

**_BOOM! SCRATCH! BOOM! THUD! THWACK!  
_**

**_SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!!!_**

After many minutes, the four formerly healthy young men, who were formerly full of life, lay on the ground, with scratches and cuts oozing blood all over their bodies.

"Ara ara ara ahhhhhh…" they whimpered.

"Ahou!" Ryoma said. "Come on, Karupin! Let's go back home!" She walked in the direction of the door.

"Meow!" the cat answered as he followed his mistress, his nose and tail high in the air, like a dignified pure breed cat, with a condescending attitude towards the half dead bodies behind him.

* * *

Outside, in the hall way, Ryoma searched for the exit.

"Now where is it?" she mumbled under her breath.

She looked from the right to the left. Then, she saw the EXIT sign above a door. She followed it. She opened the door and stepped out. A gush of fresh wind blew and she retreated slightly, covering her eyes. When the wind stopped, she opened her eyes and looked around.

". . ."

Blue.  
_  
Blue._

It was blue. Everything was _blue_.

Above, an azure blue. Below, a deep blue marine.

Only sky and water.

No land anywhere.

". . ."

She cannot go back home.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!_" she screamed. Her scream echoed thorough out the ocean.

And that was how Ryoma's summer vacations started - on a cruise ship, in the middle of nowhere, with only luggage her creased white silk pajamas she had worn to sleep the night before and her sapphire-eyed Himalayan cat, Karupin.


	25. Summer vacations: Rescue the kidnappers

They were in a private lounge suite. Ryoma, who was sitting on a sofa, arms and legs crossed, was pissed off. She was furiously stamping the floor with her right foot. A huge, red vein was popping on her forehead. The atmosphere was very heavy. Ryoma hadn't said a word since they stepped in the lounge. Obviously, she was still very angry. She had gotten kidnapped right in the morning. And she hadn't eaten anything yet, so she was starving. Anger and a hungry stomach are not a good combination.

The atmosphere was particularly heavy for Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori. They were covered with band-aids everywhere, courtesy from Ryoma and Karupin. As for the others, they weren't bothered by the heavy atmosphere. They just silently watched Ryoma and her kidnappers, waiting to see what will happen next. As for Karupin, he was no longer mad at being kidnapped. He was very pleased with himself by now. As a matter fact, Karupin was settled on Yukimura's lap, enjoying the gentle strokes from Yukimura's soft hands. He was purring contently.

Shindou, Fuji's butler, stepped into the lounge with two maids.

"Echizen-hime-sama, a bath and new clothes have been prepared for you. Please, follow Kaoko and Aoko. They will assist you," Shindou told Ryoma. Ryoma looked at herself. Maybe it's not a good idea to go around in her pajamas. And she was pretty messed up after her kidnapping. A bath was not a bad idea at all. Ryoma stood up.

"Hai, this way please, Echizen-hime-sama," Kaoko, one of the maids, said, smiling.

Before she followed the maids, Ryoma spun on her heels and glared menacingly at Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori. They flinched, sweating cold, their faces blue.

"_**YOU**_ don't go **_ANYWHERE_** until I return," she raged at them. The four boys gulped. Then, she turned to the maids and followed them out of the room.

The next second, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were kneeled in front of Yukimura, bowing to him, clinging to him.

"Ah!" Yukimura got caught by surprise.

"Yukimura/buchou, save us! Woeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" they begged, crying like babies.

Karupin, finding them too loud, jumped onto the laps of the person sitting in the sofa next to Yukimura - Fuji. He freely settled on Fuji's lap. Fuji chuckled and started to stroke the cat. Karupin enjoyed another heavenly good treat of strokes.

"You shouldn't have forced her to come since she refused your invitation," Yukimura said.

"But we only want to spend the summer with her! Woeeeeeeeeee!" Kirihara wailed.

"We had never spent the summer with any girl before! Woeeeeeeeeee!" Niou said.

"And this is our last summer at school! Woeeeeeeee!" Marui wailed.

"We just want to have good memories of our last summer! Woeeeeeeeeee!" Ootori wailed.

"WOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the four of them wailed louder.

Yukimura sighed. Most of the tennis club regulars were seniors and they will graduate this year. It was their last summer at Seiyou Academy before heading for university.

_'I understand their feelings,' _Yukimura thought.

It's true that this time, they went overboard, kidnapping Ryoma. But they only wanted to have good times while they still have a chance before leaving their high school life period. Yukimura resigned himself.

"Atobe," Yukimura said. Atobe nodded, understanding what Yukimura wanted of him.

"Enzou," Atobe called his butler.

"Hai, obocchama (1)," Enzou came in.

"Have the chiefs prepare a special Japanese course meal and French pastries for everyone," Atobe said. "We will eat as soon as Echizen is finished."

"Hai, kashikomarimashita (2), obocchama," Enzou said. He bowed and left.

* * *

When Ryoma finished bathing herself and stepped out of the bathroom, where one of the maid was waiting for her.

"Let us assist you in dressing yourself, Echizen-hime-sama," Kaoko said. "Please, this way."

Kaoko guided her to the room next door. There, Aoko was waiting for Ryoma, smiling. And she was holding something in her hands. Ryoma froze on the spot when the saw what Aoko was holding.

_'Gah! A monstrosity. It's a monstrosity!'_ Ryoma thought, her face blue, her right eye twitching.

Indeed, it was a "monstrosity", as Ryoma called it. There was no other way to name _it_. It was pale blue puffy-sleeved knee-lenght dress. The neck was cut square with embroidery on the neck line. If it was from her mother's and her cousin's perspective, the dress would be lovely and adorable. But from Ryoma's perspective, it was a horror. A pure horror. A _horribly abominable monstrosity _that should be not allowed to exist on this world. Not to mention that the dress perfectly fit her frame, hugging her every curves.

_'Who's perverted mind that chose this… this… **monstrosity**?!?'_ Ryoma wondered, pissed at having to wear a dress, as she looked at herself in the long lengh mirror.

But she had nothing else to wear. They disposed her pajamas away. They said that she won't need it again because they will give her a new pair of pajamas to sleep in. There was nothing else she could do. She had to resign herself to this outfit.

"Ah_…_" Ryoma sighed.

* * *

When Ryoma returned to the lounge, there was only Yukimura and Fuji waiting for her.

"Ah, Echizen-chan. You're ready," Yukimura greeted her. "Let's go then." And he walked ahead.

"Huh?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow, not understanding. Fuji took her hand.

"Come," he only said, smiling to her. Bewildered, she followed him anyway.

* * *

In the room next door, a feast was waiting for them. And on the top of everything, it was all Japanese foods, prepared by high class cooks. And there were also various sorts of sweets and cakes. A wonderful smell was caressing Ryoma's nose. She took a deep breath. Without realizing what she was doing, Ryoma smiled at the sight in front of her. She forgot about her previous anger of being kidnapped. Seing her smiling, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori sighed out of relief.

_'Pioufffffff! Her brother was right. You can tame her with Japanese foods and sweets,'_ they thought. They looked up in the sky, hands joined. _'Thank you, kami-sama!' _Then, they turned to Yukimura and to Atobe with large, teary, grateful eyes, letting their eyes saying _'Thank you for saving our life!'. _Yukimura chuckled.

* * *

When Ryoma finished her coffee and mocha flavored tiramisu, she was very happy. She hadn't eaten anything since the sunrise, but everything was fine now. She just had a very good meal. She smiled. Seeing that, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori took their chance.

"Echizen, are you still mad at us?" Kirihara asked hesitantly. Ryoma turned to look at him and at the three others.

"It was wrong to force you to come like that and we know that now," Marui said.

"You see, this is our last summer vacations with everybody. We just want to enjoy it to the most," Niou said.

"And with you," Ootori added.

"We are sorry for kidnapping you," the four of them finished, sincerely repenting. Ryoma stood a moment in silence, not saying anything. But seeing their sad faces, she sighed. Then, she spoke.

"It's not like I can jump in the sea and swim all the way back to Japan now. Anyway, maybe it's better to spend my vacations with you than in my bed for the whole summer," Ryoma said reluctantly. She hadn't actually said that she had forgiven them. But since it was from Ryoma, it meant that she was no longer mad at them. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori smiled a huge smile and,

_GLOMP!_ multiplied by four.

"Thank you! We love you!" they said, tightly hugging her.

"Ugggggggggggggggggggggh!" Ryoma chocked. "Okay! Okay! I understand that you're happy, but LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryoma yelled. But the four boys kept hugging her.

_Hug! Hug! Hug!!!_

_Nuzzle! Nuzzle! Nuzzle!!!  
_

They understood now why Kikumaru enjoyed so much glomping her every time he can. Talking about Kikumaru_…_

"Ahhh! Ochibi-chan, that's so nice from you!" Kikumaru glomped her too. Thus, The-joy-of-glomping-our-human-size-stuffed-toy-Ryoma club was officially created. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled at the sight of them together. They are so heart warming to look at. Even Tezuka, Yagyuu and Sanada smiled slightly.

"Meooooooow!" Karupin said, perched on Kabaji's head.

* * *

The evening.

Some of the regulars were playing games inside. The others were outside, enjoying the fresh breeze of the sea and the sight of the thousand of twinkling diamond-like stars in the blue velvet cobalt sky above them. But something was bothering Ryoma. It was Kaoko and Aoko. They told her that the two of them came to be Ryoma's exclusive maids. And it was Fuji who told them to bring the clothes for Ryoma. How did Fuji know that she would be joining the cruise when she had refused the invitation? Unless_…_

"Fuji-senpai, you were in the plot for having me be kidnapped, right? You had Kaoko-san and Aoko-san to come. And the clothes were also prepared for me already," Ryoma said, suspiciously eyeing Fuji, who was sitting next to her. Fuji chuckled.

"Oh no, I wasn't in the "kidnapping plot", as you put it. I simply agreed to help. If you came, the clothes were ready for you to use them. If you didn't, then I just have to return them. I had Kaoko-san and Aoko-san to come and the clothes to be brought for_ just in case_ you came," Fuji said, smiling, putting heavy emphasis on the "just in case".

Ryoma frowned, not believing him entirely. But she gave up trying to worm the truth out of him. Beside, what's done is done, so there was no point to waste time trying to figure things out. She preferred to ignore him. She turned her head away to look at the sea.

Fuji chuckled. Then, he opened his eyes and watched her profile cut on the velvet blue of the night. He wasn't in the plot for kidnapping her, but he was the mastermind behind her kidnapping.

* * *

Flashback

The day before.

Ryoma already left home. A couple of the regulars were still at school.

"Ahhhh_…_" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori, sitting on a divan, sighed all together for the XXXth time. They were depressed.

"What's wrong with you, guys?" Yuuta asked. "You havn't stopped sighing for a while now."

"Echizen refused to come on the cruise with us," Kirihara answered.

"Ahhhh_…_" The four sighed again. Yuuta slightly sighed and sat with them.

"Yeah, I'm also a little bit disappointed. But since she refused_…_"

"Ahhhh_…_" Sighs multiplied by five this time.

"I would like her to come along too_…_" Yuuta said.

"Ahhhh_…_" they all sighed together for the second time. Seeing that, Fuji came to them.

"We will leave only tomorrow. You can try again. You could go to her place tomorrow morning and invite her again, just before we leave," Fuji suggested. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori immediately straightened up, their attention all focused on Fuji's words.

_'Try again… tomorrow morning… Try again… tomorrow morning…'_ Fuji's voice echoed in their head.

"Maybe she will change her mind by then," Fuji finished. But Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori didn't hear this last part.

"Ah! That's right," Yuuta said. "I will go to her place tomorrow morning."

"ME TOO!!!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori shouted in unison, catching Yuuta by surprise. Yuuta looked at them. They were fire up, their eyes shining with fiery determination.

"Err… Okay…" Yuuta trailed off, sweat dropping.

"Nhya hahahahaha…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori cackled evilly.

_'What are they planning to do?'_ Yuuta wondered, slightly worried. Fuji smiled. His sadistic smile.

_'She will come, even if it isn't of her free will,'_ Fuji thought, knowing the four mischievous boys perfectly.

"Fuji, that was tricky and underhanded of you, but it's a very good idea, an excellent one," Yagyuu said. "I better go with them to reassure her family. And at the same time, I'll get her passport." Fuji was surprised by Yagyuu's reaction, but very pleased. So Yagyuu also agreed on the (_cough cough_) underhanded scheme and he will help too. Fuji chuckled.

End flashback

* * *

Fuji chuckled again, remembering what happened the day before.

_'I better not let her know that it was because of me that she is now on this cruise with us,'_ Fuji thought. He looked at Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori, all wrapped in band-aids.

_'Having the four of them suffering from her fury it's enough. I don't need to put my life in danger too. Huhuhuhu!'_ Fuji chuckled again.

After all, all what he did was **_suggest _**inviting the female regular again for the cruise. But he made sure that _certain_ people heard him. And the said people were Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori of course!

_'If it wasn't them, then the plan wouldn't have worked,'_ Fuji chuckled. Then, he looked at Yagyuu, who was calmly sipping his English Earl tea.

_'He too won't tell her anything either. Huhuhuhu!'_

* * *

**Omake!**

"Echizen-hime-sama," Kaoko asked

"Hum? Yes?" Ryoma answered.

"How do the clothes fit you? And the shoes too? Are they too big or too small?"

"Ah? Oh! No! Their size are perfect. They fit me perfectly. Thank you," Ryoma said.

"And how does the underwear fit you? Do they fit your taste? Do you need a different size?" Aoko said.

"Ah! The underwear?" Ryoma blinked. That's right. She hadn't paid any attention to them. They are so comfortable that she completely forgot about them. Humm_…_ Well, maybe the embroidered flowers and laces and ribbons were too girlish, but since they were worn underneath her clothes, so maybe it was fine.

"Ah, they fit me perfectly too and they are very comfortable," Ryoma said.

"Yokatta (3)," Kaoko said.

"But how did you know my size?" Ryoma asked.

"Ah! Actually, it was Fuji-sama who selected everything for you, the clothes, the shoes and the underwear," Aoko said.

_'What!?' _Twitch twitch. Ryoma's right eye twitched.

"Wait… _(Twitch!)_ You mean_…_ _(Twitch twitch!)_ that it's_…_ Fuji-senpai… _(Twitch twitch twitch!)_ who _selected…_ _(Freeze)_ my _underwear…_"

"Yesssssssssssss!" Kaoko and Aoko chanted.

". . ." Ryoma couldn't say anything. She blushed.

"But as expected from Fuji-sama! He's a genius for selecting the perfect size for you, Echizen-hime-sama. It's not easy for a man to select underwear for a woman," Kaoko said.

Twitch! Twitch!

"Not to mention that he has such good taste!" Aoko said dreamily. "Ahhh! I wish I had a boyfriend who can choose my underwear that are pretty and fit me perfectly like Fuji-sama did to you, Echizen-hime-sama."

"Ahhhhhh!" Kaoko and Aoko sighed dreamily.

Twitch! Twitch! Twitch!

Ryoma wasn't sure she was happy to learn who had chosen her underwear. In fact, she wished she hadn't heard about it.

"But I would like to know too," Kaoko said. "How did Fuji-sama know the right size for Echizen-hime-sama's underwear?"

"Me too," Aoko said.

"Let's go ask him!" Kaoko said.

* * *

"Hum? You want to ask me something?" Fuji said, smiling to Kaoko and Aoko.

"Fuji-sama, how did you do to know the perfect size for Echizen-hime-sama's clothes and shoes?" Kaoko asked.

"When we played Cinderella at school, I danced with her and put her glass shoe for her. That's how I know the size of her clothes and shoes," Fuji said.

Ryoma still remembered the play in question. She blushed.

"And how did you know her underwear size?" Aoko said.

"Ah! Well… For that's… Hmmm…" Fuji pretended to think. "There was… uhmmm… a little "accident"… during the first day I met her."

Ryoma blushed at the "accident".

"And last time, I thoroughly umm… (_cough cough_) _measured_ her too," Fuji said, smiling.

"You mean the last time you repeatedly groped her breasts, in the omake of the chapter 19?" Yagyuu said.

"Oh! Was that obvious?" Fuji innocently asked.

"Yes!" everybody said, excluding Ryoma and the maids.

_'He even admitted it!'_ people thought.

"Gag!" Ryoma became a white statute.

"But I assure you it's only to measure her size. I didn't have any perverted intentions," Fuji said with a big smile, a golden halo on the head, like an angel. But he also grew a devil tail, which was happily swinging right to left, and which enticed Karupin to play with it.

Ryoma was enraged. She wanted to kill him. Now. Right on the spot. And torturing him with a lot of pain. First, she will make him drink a whole lot of water until it pour out from his ears. Then, she will put him on a stretching machine and pull his legs and arms to no end. Then, she will stretch his mouth and eye to see how big she can stretch them. Then, she will skin him alive first. Then fry him on high fire until he becomes crunchy and crispy. Then slice him with a chainsaw. Then shove him in a blender. Then shove him down the toilet. Then…

As Ryoma was developping homicidal ideas, the others regulars could see - _watch_ - what she was thinking. It was like a live movie shooting on the top of her head.

_'She sure has a vivid imagination,'_ they thought.

Yukimura was laughing in his corner.

"Oh yeah!" Fuji hit his right fist in his left palm. "Ryoma-chan, how _exactly_ the underwear fit you? Let me judge it by myself," Fuji said as he holds out his hands toward her breast. Blue, Ryoma stepped back away from him.

"FUJI-SENPAI! STEP AWAY FROM ME OR I'LL CHOP OFF YOUR DIRTY HANDS!!!" she yelled from the top of her lunges.

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

* * *

(1) obocchama: a polite to call a boy from wealthy family in Japan, from "obocchan" and "-sama".

(2) kashikomarimashita: "I understand", used toward a superior.

(3) yokatta: it's all right, it's good to hear that.


	26. Summer vacations: Touga and Sora

It was late. Ryoma was tired and decided to go to sleep.

"Let's go to sleep, Karupin," Ryoma said.

"Meooooooow!" Karupin agreed.

When she reached her room, there was a room service boy standing in front of her door. He looked to the right, then to the left. Seeing no one, he was going to open Ryoma's door when Ryoma walked up to him.

"Hey, do you need something?" Ryoma asked.

"Ah!" the man got caught by surprise. He turned around to see Ryoma standing next to him. Ryoma look at him suspiciously.

"Ah… Sorry, I was just delivering the costume for you. I finished ironing it," the man stuttered. Ryoma looked at the tuxedo he held in his arms.

"This is my room and I'm female. I don't have a tuxedo," Ryoma told him.

"Ah… I'm sorry, miss. I must have gotten the wrong room. My apologies." He bowed to her and scampered away. Ryoma looked at him, frowning.

_'Strange,'_ she thought. She shrugged her shoulders. _'Bah! Not my business!'_ And she entered her room.

Karupin went ahead of her and jumped on her bed. He sat down next to a pair of pajamas which Aoko put on her bed for her. It was also a white silk one, like the one she had.

"Why did they take the pain to get rid of my pajamas and give me an exactly same one? Just keeping my own is fine!" Ryoma said. "Nee, Karupin?"

"Meoow!" Karupin answered.

But what Ryoma didn't know was that this new set pajamas of her was made from the finest silk in Japan. And she certainly didn't know the price of it. She took a shower and changed into the pajamas. Ryoma was going to slip into her bed, when she heard people speaking… from inside her wardrobe!

* * *

Inside the wardrobe.

"Onii-san, I'm hungry," a little girl said, hugging her stuffed toy doll against her.

"Me too, but we have nothing to eat," her brother said. "Let's wait for a moment. When everybody is asleep, I will try to find food for us."

The little girl nodded.

* * *

Outside the wardrobe.

Ryoma stood in front of the wardrobe, listening. She gulped.

_'I'm not dreaming. There are people inside the wardrobe…' _Karupin jumped down from her bed and walked to the wardrobe. Slowly, Ryoma stepped up to the wardrobe. One, two, three… OPEN!!!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the children yelled.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoma yelled.

"Meoooooooooooooow!" Karupin yowled too. The children clung to eachother as Ryoma fell on her bottom and Karupin hissed.

_'Huh? Children. They are only children.'_

The children were young. The girl looked to be around five or six years old, and the boy maybe six or seven. They had chestnut hair and ash grey eyes. The boy's hair was straight while the girl had shoulder lenght wavy hair. And they wore very fine clothes.

_'They must be from a wealthy family,' _Ryoma concluded. _'But what are children from rich family are doing in a wardrobe?'_

"Who are you? And what are you doing in a wardrobe?" Ryoma asked.

"Pl… pl… pl…" the boy stuttered, but he was so scared that he couldn't answer. He tightened his arms around his little sister's shoulders. The little girl buried her face into her brother's chest. Both of them were shaking madly. "Pl-pl-please… Do-do-don't hurt my little sister… I-I-I will do everything you want… J-just don't hurt her, please!" the boy plead. He and the little girl were ready to burst into tears at any moment.

_'They are terrified…' _Ryoma thought. Ryoma kneeled down on the floor and sat on her legs. She crossed her hands on her laps and didn't move, showing them that they have nothing to worry about her.

After a couple of minutes, she talked again.

"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you," Ryoma said calmy.

"R-R-Really…?" the boy asked in a trembling voice.

"Hmn…" Ryoma slowly nodded, but didn't break eye contact with them, showing them that they can trust her. To prove them that his mistress wasn't lying, Karupin went and sat on Ryoma's laps, right on her hands. That way, Ryoma could not do anything without the children seeing. The boy examined Ryoma.

_'She is sitting on her legs and her hands are crossed on her laps. And her cat is on her hands too.' _He looked at Ryoma's face.

_'She is not hiding her eyes.' _He looked deeply into Ryoma's eyes. For a long long time, the two of them didn't break eyes contact, not blinking once. After a few minutes, the boy finally reached his decision.

_'She doesn't seem to be dangerous. I guess I can trust her…' _the boy thought. He relaxed his shoulders and his tight hold around his little sister's shoulders loosened. Feeling her brother's arms loosening, the little girl felt more secure, less scared. She looked at the lady sat in front of them, her fluffy white and brown cat sat on her. She looked at the lady's face. She looked at the lady's eyes.

_'Pretty eyes…'_ the little girl thought. Seeing the little girl staring at her, Ryoma smiled a little bit. The little girl smiled widely back at the lady in front of her. The boy was surprised to see his little sister smiling at the lady.

_'If Sora is not scared of this person, then she must not be dangerous,' _the boy concluded. His little sister rarely trusted anyone at the first sight. Actually, the number of people his little sister trusted could be count on only one hand's fingers. The boy looked back at Ryoma.

_'I can trust her then.'_

"Ryoma-chan/Ryoma/Echizen-hime-sama, are you all right?!" Fuji, Yuuta, Kaoko and Aoko burst in Ryoma's bedroom, yelling.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! / Meowwwwww!" the children, Ryoma and Karupin yelled, completely caught by surprise. But the most surprising thing for Ryoma, it was that she found herself on her back, the two children on the top of her, clinging to her. It was a good thing that the floor was covered by a thick carpet or Ryoma would have been knocked out. But something much more surprising happened after that.

"Touga! Sora!" Fuji recognized the kids on Ryoma. The two children, hearing their name, raised their heads to see the people who burst in the room. Next, they ran to Fuji and crushed themselves to his legs.

"Syuu-niichan!!! Woeeeeeeeeee!" they wailed. Fuji bent down at their level and they wrapped their arms around his neck.

"Woeeeeeeeeeee!" they wailed again.

"Touga, Sora…" Fuji said and let them cried into his chest. He put his arms around their shoulders.

"Fuji-senpai, you know them?" Ryoma asked as she stood up front the floor.

"They are our sister's children," Yuuta said. "But what are they doing here ? In your room?"

"I don't know," Ryoma said.

"Woeeeeeeeeeeeee… Hic! Hic! Hic!" the children hiccupped.

"There there, Touga, Sora…" Fuji hushed. "It's all right now… Shhhh…" Little by little, Touga and Sora calmed down.

"What is happening here?" Atobe asked as he appeared with Kabaji. That's when he saw the children. "Touga! Sora! What are you two doing here!"

"Kei-niichan!" Touga recognized his cousin.

* * *

They took place in Ryoma's room, sitting wherever there was place to sit on. Ryoma and Sora were on the divan. Touga sat in a sofa, facing Fuji and Atobe, who were in an armchair. Ryoma's door opened again. This time, it was Yukimura, Sanada and Yagyuu who came in. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were with them too. Kirihara saw Ryoma with a little girl.

"Ah! Echizen! I didn't know that you already have children!? And to think that you're younger than me!" Kirihara said. Ryoma sighed and rolled her eyes. She had long given up trying to understand how Kirihara's brain works. Yukimura chuckled.

"It's my first time meeting them. I don't know anything about them except that they are named Touga and Sora and that they are Fuji-senpai's and Yuuta's nephew and niece," Ryoma said.

"They are also my cousins," Atobe said.

"They are?" Ryoma looked at Yuuta. "You are related to the Monkey King?" Yuuta snickered while Atobe twitched an eye.

"Nee-san (1) married Mitsuda Kouki, Atobe's cousin," Yuuta explained.

"Anyway, let's get to our business," Atobe said. He looked at Touga and Sora. "Touga, Sora, what are you doing here?" Atobe asked them in a stern voice. Touga trembled.

"We don't know what happen to us," Touga answered. "We were playing outside in the garden when strange people appeared. They knocked Nana out and took Sora. I tried to stop them but they took me too."

"Nana?" Ryoma asked, slightly confused by the term.

"Their nanny," Yuuta answered.

"I don't know what happen after that. When we woke up, we were in a dark room. We were gagged and our legs and arms were tied," Touga continued. "There were some broken beer bottles scattered around. I used a shard to cut the ropes of my hands and free us. After that, we tried to run away but we didn't know where to go. The bad men found out that we escaped and they were searching for us. Since then, we hid in this wardrobe." Touga pointed to the wardrobe where Ryoma found them.

A silent took place in the room.

"You were kidnapped…" Marui said.

_**Guru… **_

A strange noise came out from Touga's and Sora's stomachs.

_**Guru guru… **_

**_. . ._**

_**GURU ! GURU ! GURU ! GURUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!**_

Touga's and Sora's stomachs threw a tantrum. They blushed while Ryoma, Yuuta, Kirihara, Marui and Niou sweat dropped. Sora hid her face in Ryoma's arms. Ryoma was surprised. She didn't realize that the little girl was so close to her. In fact, Sora was practically glued to Ryoma.

_'When did she move so close to me?' _Ryoma wondered. But Ryoma didn't move nor did she push the little girl away from her. Touga put a hand on his stomach.

"We haven't eat anything for a long time…" Touga finished. Atobe sighed.

"Enzou," he called his butler.

"Kashikomarimahsita (2), obocchama," Enzou said, then left to get something for the kids to eat.

"Fuji-sama," Shindou said as he appeared with a telephone on a tray.

"Arigatou Shindou," Fuji said as he picked the phone. He dialed a number and wait. Someone immediately answered.

"We will pay the ransom you want, but don't hurt my children!" Mitsuda Yumiko (maiden name Fuji) cried on the other side of the line.

"Nee-san, it's me," Fuji said, wincing slightly at the deafening volume of his sister's voice.

"Ah! Syuusuke!" Fuji heard his sister cried. "I'm sorry. I thought it was someone else. I'm sorry I can't talk to you now. Can I call you later? Something very important happened here."

"Nee-san, if you are talking about Touga and Sora, they are here with me," Fuji said.

"_**WHAT!?**_" This time, it was Yumiko and her husband who yelled in the phone. Fuji pulled the phone as far away from his ear as he could.

"They are!? Are they fine?! Are they hurt?! How come they are there with you? What are they…" Kikou hastily asked.

"Onii-san, calm down," Fuji said. "They are perfectly fine. They are not hurt. Just hungry. But we are taking care of them. Everything is perfectly fine so you don't have to worry about anything anymore."

"Syuusuke, let me talk to them," Yumiko said. Fuji turned to Touga and Sora.

"Touga, Sora, your mother wants to talk to you," Fuji said. Touga took the phone from Fuji and Sora stood next to him.

"Kaa-san," Touga said.

"Oh Touga! Are you all right? Are you hurt? Is Sora all right? Were you very scared?" Yumiko asked, worried and relieved to hear him.

"I'm fine kaa-san. Sora too," Touga answered for them. Fuji left Touga and Sora talked to their mother and returned to his place.

* * *

"Ryoma-chan, how did you find them?" Fuji asked.

"I was going to sleep when I heard people talking in the wardrobe," Ryoma answered. "That's how I found them." Fuji became silent momentarily, thinking.

"Who could have kidnapped them…?" Fuji thought aloud, his chin between his fingers. "From what Touga said, the kidnappers must be on this ship…" Hearing his mumbling, Ryoma talked again.

"I remember something," she said. "When I went to my room, there was a room service boy in front of my door. He said it was to bring an ironed tuxedo. When I told him that I don't wear tuxedos, much less own one, he excused himself, saying that he must have mistaken my room with another. Then, he immediately ran away."

"He ran away?" Yukimura said. "That's strange." Ryoma nodded.

"Afterwards, did he try after to find the right room to give the tuxedo?" Ootori asked. Ryoma shook her head.

"That's a strange behavior for a room service boy," Yagyuu said. Ryoma thought a moment.

"Come to think about it… Before he tried to open my door, he was looking right and left, as if he was checking if there was somebody else around. He was going to open my door if I didn't intercept him. And when I turned the knob, the door was already unlocked."

"It sounds like he didn't want people to see him… If he was a normal room service boy, he will knock to see if you're in your room. If he got no answer, he would have left and would return later to try again," Marui said.

"Furthermore, it seems that he has a master key since he unlocked your door," Niou said. "But a simple room service boy should not be in possession of the master key of the rooms."

"He's suspicious," Kirihara said.

"Could it be that he is Touga's and Sora's kidnapper and he was searching for them?" Yuuta hypothesized.

"Probably," Yagyuu said.

"He's indeed suspicious. We should be looking for him. If he's a kidnapper, there is high probability that he will try to kidnap the children again," Sanada said. The guys nodded to Sanada's presumption.

"Echizen, can you describe him or recognize if you see him?" Atobe asked her. Ryoma nodded.

* * *

(1) nee-san (or onee-san): big sister ;

(2) kashikomarimashita: I understand, very polite.


	27. Summer vacations: Scared kids

A/N: Back from Holidays vacations. Sorry for not updating during the Holidays because I was on vacations. So here the new chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

With Ryoma's description of the suspicious room service boy and the video of the security camera, Atobe and Fuji went to talk to the manager of the staff of the cruise and to the security staff.

The man was not a registered staff of the cruise and the security center got a signalization that a master key has been stolen. The chief of the security send his men to find that suspicious man. They caught him and his accomplices. Through the investigation, they found out that they were paid to kidnap the young Mitsuda. They were supposed to hide the children in one of the warehouses where many ships and boats were sailing. But the kids escaped. Someone told them that two small children, a boy and a girl, slipped in the cruise ship before its departure when the staff were charging the food. Three of the kidnappers also slipped in the cruise to search for the children. They disguised as the cruise staff members to make their job easier.

The three kidnappers were imprisonned in a locked room until the cruise reached its destination. They will be send to the police after that.

* * *

Back in her room.

"Ah…" Ryoma sighed as she flopped herself in the divan. "What a tiring evening…"

"Meowww…" Karupin agreed with her.

Touga and Sora entered the room with Kaoko and Aoko after their bath and their supper. Seeing their uncle Syuusuke, Touga went to him and grabbed his pants, pulling on it to get his attention.

"Syuu-nii, will Sora and I be kidnapped again?" Touga asked. Fuji bent down to Touga's level and put a hand on his head.

"No, don't worry. The bad men are caught now, so you can be reassured," Fuji told him. Touga nodded to him.

"It's very late now. You two should go to bed. We will discuss of everything tomorrow," Atobe told them. He turned to his butler. "Enzou, is their room ready?"

"Hai, obocchama," Enzou answered. "I prepared the room next to yours for them."

"Good," Atobe said. "Let's go now, Touga, Sora." Touga followed Atobe's steps but not his sister. Sora didn't move from her spot.

"Sora?" Touga looked at her. Sora was tensed and she was shaking. "Come with me," Touga told her. Sora hastily shook her head, refusing to go with him. Suddenly, she ran to Ryoma and clung herself to Ryoma's leg.

_'Eh?!?'_ Ryoma panicked.

They all looked at the little girl. Sora was shaking madly and she was crying. She firmly hold onto Ryoma's leg, refusing to let go.

"Sora! Come now!" Atobe ordered at her. Sora shook her head again and hid her face against Ryoma's leg, crying.

". . ." No one made a sound in the room.

"I think she is scared to sleep alone," Yagyuu said. Sora bit her lips, her face confirming Yagyuu's saying. Ryoma bent down to her.

"You don't have to worry Sora," Ryoma said. "Your brother Touga will be-…! Ah!" Sora jumped onto Ryoma and swung her arms around Ryoma's neck.

_'Ah!?' _Ryoga got caught by surprise.

"Sora?!" Touga was confused. Sora don't respond to him but look up at Ryoma with big big big teary eyes. Ryoma stared blankly at her.

_'What does she want from me?'_ Ryoma wondered. She was not good with kids. She had never been so close to a kid before. She don't know what to do nor can she understand what this little girl wants from her. This little girl was confusing her. Yuuta walked to Ryoma and Sora. He crouched down next to te little girl.

"Sora, you want to stay with her?" Yuuta asked. Sora shyly nodded.

_'EH?!?'_ Ryoma looked at the girl clung to her neck, eyes wide.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji said. Ryoma got caught by surprise. Fuji too was crouched like Yuuta, just in front of her, but she didn't heard him approaching. "Ryoma-chan," Fuji said again. "Can you let her sleep with you tonight, please?" Ryoma opened her eyes wide, blinking twice. Fuji was looking at her with his eyes opened, asking her a favour.

_'Fuji-senpai is actually asking me a favour?!'_ Ryoma cannot believe it. But that's what was happening right now. And Sora was looking at her with pleading eyes too, her lips trembling. Ryoma sweat dropped, feeling a little uneasy.

"I think Sora will feel more secure if she sleep with you, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said. "She is still very disturbed by what happen to her today." Ryoma looked at the little girl again, who was still looking at her with puppy eyes. Ryoma sighed. She gave up.

"Fine, you can sleep with me," Roma said. Sora broke into a huge smile. She tightened her arms around Ryoma's neck and snuggled against her chest. Ryoma was surprised.

_'I don't understand why she would feel more secure with me than with her brother,'_ Ryoma wondered. But Ryoma's got cut by a tug on her right sleeve. Ryoma turned her head to see Touga standing next to her, his left hand clutching her sleeve.

"Huh?" Ryoma said.

"C-can I-I-I s-stay w-w-with y-you t-too, p-p-please…" Touga stuttered.

_'Ehhhhhhhhhh!'_ Ryoma's mind screamed again. Touga blushed, but looked directly at Ryoma, his eyes pleading too. And he don't let go of her sleeve. He wanted to show that he was strong, but inside, he was still a little bit scared to be left alone. Ryoma saw his right fist closed. And he was trembling a little bit. Ryoma sighed. She gave up again.

"Fine, you can stay with me too," Ryoma said. Touga broke into a huge smiled like Sora.

"Arigatou onee-chan!" he said happily.

"Ahh…" Ryoma sighed.

_'I really don't understand how kids think in their head.'_


	28. Summer vacations: At Dolphy Land

The next morning.

Ryoma moved a little bit in her bed. Then, she slowly opened her eyes. She can see light through the curtains of the window. The sun already raised. It was time to get up. Ryoma stirred and yawned. Suddenly, she took notice of something unfamiliar, something heavy on her stomach. Heavier than Karupin.

"Meow…" Karupin greeted her.

Ryoma turned to see her cat on the left side of her pillow. If Karupin was there, then what was on her abdomen? Ryoma slowly raised up and looked down to see two arms across her abdomen. Two small arms. Ryoma looked on each side of her. On her right, there was a little boy dressed in a blue pajamas. On her left, a little girl in a pink pajamas. The two children were hugging her as they hugged a teddy bear in their sleep.

_'Ahhhhh! How come there are children in my bed?!' _Ryoma panicked.

Then she remembered what happened yesterday night.

* * *

Flashback

Ryoma had agreed to let Touga and Sora sleep with her. Kaoko and Aoko were tucking the kids in her bed while she talked a last time with the boys at the door of her room.

"Thank you, Ryoma," Yuuta said. "They are still scared by what happened to them, but they seem to feel more at ease with you."

"Ah. It's nothing," Ryoma said. And she yawned. "I'm going to sleep now. So see you tomorrow."

Yuuta nodded. Fuji took her hands in his.

_Doki! _

Her heart skipped and she furiously blushed.

"Thank you, Ryoma-chan, for what you did for them," Fuji said in a gentle voice. And he slightly squeezed her hand again.

Ryoma froze as the warmth from Fuji's hand ran under her skin. She didn't know what to say. She just simply nodded to him. A last greeting and they left her room. Then, Ryoma returned to her bed, where the children were waiting for her.

End flashback

* * *

Ryoma blushed as she remembered the warmth emitting from Fuji's hand. And there were also his gentle and cerulean eyes when he looked at her. With what happened last night, she discovered a new side of Fuji Syuusuke. She knew he is a good big brother and had guessed that he cares a lot for members of his family. But she didn't think that he cares for people outside of his family. Sure, from his behaviors with everybody everyday, he is nice to everyone. But Ryoma thinks that was only a cover. Yet yesterday, when he hold her hands in his (major blush shade changed!), she felt that his sincerity wasn't a cover. He can be truly nice to people outside of his family.

_'Maybe he only wanted to show me he was grateful that I let his nephew and niece sleep with me,' _Ryoma thought. She reflected a moment.

_'But still, he was really tender…'_ Her cheeks took a soft pink color and a little smile graced her lips. _'It felt like he…'_

_'**STOOOOOOOOP!**'_ Ryoma's inner-self kicked her. Ryoma snapped. _'What was I thinking?! Baka me! I better wake up for real!'_ She hastily shook her head to get rid of some weird thinking. _'Let's get down on earth.'_

Ryoma looked at the children's sleeping face. Their faces were peaceful.

_'I guess they are less scared now,' _Ryoma thought.

She remembered when she was young, she used to beg Ryoga to let her sleep with him every time she was scared. Sometime, she will also sneak in his bed in the middle of the night because she had a nightmare. And even if it always annoyed him, Ryoga won't push her away or won't tell her to go back in her room. He will patiently listen to her talking about her nightmare (though it looked more like he was _trying_to listen because he was only half awake). Then, he would let her a spot in his bed. The children must have feel scared like when she was young. That was why she accepted to let them stay with her. Sora's behavior last night reminded her of herself when she was young. Ryoma smiled a little bit at the memory.

Sora stirred and slowly opened her eyes to see the golden eyes big sister smiling. Sora fully woke up, smiling to Ryoma.

"Ohayou, onee-chan," Sora said in a soft and shy voice.

Ryoma snapped out of her reverie. She saw the little girl looking at her with a smile. Ryoma smiled back at her.

"Ohayou, Sora-chan," Ryoma greeted her back.

"Hmm… Five more minute, okaa-san…" Touga mumbled in his sleep and snuggled closer to Ryoma.

Ryoma and Sora looked at him, then silently giggled.

* * *

In the cruise ship restaurant hall.

The boys were eating their breakfast when Ryoma came in with the children. Sora holded Ryoma's hand while Touga carried Karupin. Atobe had talked with his cousin concerning the children. Since they were in the middle of the ocean, they cannot bring Touga and Sora back to Japan. Atobe agreed to keep the children with him. Touga and Sora will be brought back to their parents when they will return to Japan at the end of the vacations. The children will spend the summer with them. The kids were happy of the outcome.

"Well, it's a good ending to your kidnapping, kids!" Marui said.

"But there were sure a lot of kidnapping yesterday…" Ryoma mumbled, frowning. "What a strange coincidence…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori whistled and danced on their foot, pretending they don't know what she meant by.

"Onee-chan, you have been kidnapped too?" Sora asked. "Those people must be very bad. They should be put in prison with the others criminals."

_Thud! _An arrow shoot through Kirihara's, Marui's, Niou's and Ootori's heart.

_'Ahhh… It hurts…' _they thought.

A little girl just called them "bad people", "must be put in prison" and "criminals". They clutched their hearts.

"Don't worry. I already took care of them. And Karupin too. They got what they deserve," Ryoma said, smiling.

"Ohhhh!" Sora said, admired.

_'And it hurt a lot too,' _Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori remembered gloomily what she and her cat did to them.

"Ah…" they sighed.

"Meooow!"

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

"Anyway, sit down and eat your breakfast," Yukimura told Ryoma and the children.

* * *

When the cruise ship berthed at an island around Hawaii, they moved to their hotel, where they have their suites booked. Atobe Corp had developed a project of a hotel complex village resort. Many attractions were built: shopping malls, garden parks, restaurants and cafés, show stadiums, fine art exposition center, museum, handmade art craft shops and so on. The project was just newly done and it needed to be tested, so Atobe invited the tennis club regulars to spend their vacations on his new island.

Enzou was told by Atobe to get a new room for Touga and Sora, but they wanted to be roomed wit Ryoma again, making a big commotion in front of the reception of the hotel. Because they caught all the attention of the people around, Ryoma fastely agreed to their demand so they would shut up. Touga and Sora were very happy of her (reluctant) agreement.

The kids have definitely adopt Ryoma. They wouldn't leave her side for a moment. If they have to leave her, it wasn't for a long period of time. It seems like Touga and Sora jealously guarded all Ryoma's attention for them alone, much to Kirihara's, Marui's, Niou's and Ootori's displeasure. They found Touga and Sora too clingy for their taste. Ryoma spend more time babysitting the kids then be with them (babysitting them).

Right now, they are in front of an Dolphy Land, an attraction park. Touga wanted Ryoma to come with Sora and him to see the dolphins and the whale. Kirihara wanted Ryoma to go with him and the others to the rides. A fight was occurring between Touga and Kirihara over with who Ryoma should go with. Sora don't fight, but she firmly clutched Ryoma's skirt. She was siding with her brother.

"Nee-chan is coming with us!" Touga pull on Ryoma's right arm.

"No! She's coming with us!" Kirihara pulled on her left arm.

"You can see her at school, so don't be picky with us! She will be spending the day with us!" Touga pull harder.

"If she's here, it's thanks to us! So she's coming with us!" Kirihara pull too.

"You're old! Don't act spoil like a child! So let her go with us!" Pull.

"You're a kid! Respect your elder and let her go with us!" Pull.

"No! Us!" Pull.

"No! Us!" Pull.

"No!" Pull.

"No!" Pull.

Pull.

Pull.

Pull.

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. Touga and Kirihara kind of… err… _forgot_ (!) to ask the main subject's opinion. As for Ryoma, she repeatedly ticked her left eye, a vein popping on her forehead. It's been more than ten minutes that the two of them were quarrelling and pulling her from right to left as if she was a toy. And hers arms were aching by now. She was so annoyed that she cannot say anything to stop the two childish boys. Seeing that, Fuji and Yukimura cut in.

"Touga, Ryoma-chan is a person. You cannot pull her like that," Fuji said.

"But Syuu-nii, I just want nee-chan to see the dolphins with us," Touga said.

"Kirihara, stop acting like a spoil child. Let go of Echizen-chan," Yukimura said.

"But buchou, we just want her to go to the rides with us," Kirihara said.

Tezuka and Sanada sighed while Yuuta rubbed his forehead.

_'This is getting us nowhere,'_ they thought.

"Why don't you ask Echizen's opinion? To see with whom she wants to go first?" Yagyuu said.

"Nee-chan/Echizen, you want to come with us, right?" Touga and Kirihara chorused at Ryoma, looking expectantly at her. Ryoma back off.

_'This is not how you ask someone's opinion,' _Tezuka, Sanada and Yuuta thought.

"Eh… ehh…" Ryoma sweat dropped, not sure what to answer. Their expecting glares scared her.

"Nee-chan/Echizen!" Touga and Kirihara insisted with puppy eyes. Sora pull harder on her Ryoma's skirt. Ryoma looked down to meet a third pair of puppy eyes.

"W-why don't we see all the attractions together?" Ryoma stuttered, sweating.

Kirihara and Touga shoot at each other ferocious glare.

"The one who wins decide of the first place we go!" they shouted into each others' face. They jumped back one step, raised their fist and threw it in the direction of the other and, "Jankenpon (1)!"

Touga hit paper and Kirihara, scissors.

"Yay!" Kirihara cheered and danced like a clown with Marui, Niou and Ootori.

"Bwueee…" Touga cried, gloomy, as he looked at his hand.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! We are going to the rides first! Let's go!" Kirihara continued to sing and to dance.

"Ooooh!" Marui, Niou and Ootori cheered. Kirihara lead the way and the guys followed him. Touga, still gloomy that he lost, walked next to Kirihara, a black cloud on his head.

Ryoma stood momentary behind with Fuji, Sanada, Yagyuu and the three buchous. She looked at the group in front of her, eyes slitted.

"Tezuka-buchou, Sanada-senpai, I understand now your pain for looking over them," Ryoma said. Sanada, Tezuka and she took a deep breath.

"Ahhh…" the three of them heavily sighed. Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

Ryoma saw Sora's sad face. Sora wants so much to see the dolphins. Ryoma bent down at her level.

"Sora, there will be a show at 3 o'clock with the dolphins. We can go to watch the show this afternoon together. I will be more fun than just watching the dolphins in their aquarium," Ryoma nicely said. Sora immediately broke into a huge smile to Ryoma.

"Hai!" Sora said.

"Why don't we join them too, before they completely leave us behind?" Ryoma said.

"Hn!" Sora vividly nodded. Ryoma stood up and Sora grabbed her hand, pulling her with her.

"Ah!" Ryoma was surprised, but followed anyway. Seeing Sora's happy smile, Fuji's eyes soften.

"Well, let's go too," Atobe said and walked ahead. They followed him.

* * *

Yanagi and Inui took many pictures and recorded a lot of videos of their day at Dolphy land.

Their scared faces while riding the Dragon, a kind of roller coaster in a haunted house.

Touga's and Sora's mischievous grins while hunting after Kirihara in the bumper cars games.

The kid's happy face while riding the Butterfly and Yuuta's bored face. The ride was more fit for young children than teenagers. But Kikumaru too enjoyed the Butterfly.

Touga and Sora wanted to puke in the Monster while Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori were cheering to go faster.

In the roller coaster, it was Touga and Sora who were cheering while Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori had their eyes swirling.

The teenager boys were absolutely annoyed in the merry-go-round while Touga and Sora were beaming with joy. That was because Kirihara lost at jakenpon against Touga. Hiyoshi blushed from embarrassment to be caught in such a ride for kids.

Tezuka and Sanada had a stoic face in the Vampire - though they were kind of blue.

A picture of Kirihara laughing at Touga's and Sora's sulking faces because the kids couldn't ride Goliath with them. They weren't tall enough yet. Shishido and Gakuto, sweat dropping, pretended that they didn't see Kirihara mocking the children.

Next picture, Touga pulling a grimace to Kirihara from inside his apple-shape gondola. There wasn't enough place for everybody to get in the Apple Three and Touga and Sora managed to have Ryoma going with them and left Kirihara behind.

After the Apple Three, Kirihara and Touga went into another quarrel. Yukimura stopped them by having them rid the flying carousel together. At first, they sulked, but they soon forgot about it and enjoyed it fully.

After that, they got soaked in the Splash, a boat that plunged down a waterfall. To dry themselves, they rode the Tchou Tchou mini train around the park. While enjoying a sight of the park, they also enjoyed the fresh breeze.

Touga and Sora were delighted and Tezuka and Sanada weren't unhappy to ride something calmer then the roller coaster games.

And for the last ride, they decided to go in the giant ferry wheel, enjoying the view of all the island.

* * *

After the ferry wheel, it was about lunch time. They went to the under the water restaurant. The restaurant was a part of a research center, where scientists study and do research on the life of the see and its creatures to protect and to preserve them. While eating, they could watch the colorful fish dancing around them. It was so pretty that they didn't even notice when the waiters put their plate in front of them.

For sure, Karupin seems to love the place. He felt like being in a blue Heaven. His eyes were shining brightly - in a suspicious way - as he watched the fish. Sadly for him, Ryoma don't plan to let him make a face to face acquaintance with the fish. She feared that they would be the very last people who could enjoy the fish dance if Karupin met them. But she bought him a cat toy in the form of a fish when they left the restaurant.

At 3 o'clock, the show with the dolphines begun. Touga and Sora had a permanent marvel smile plastered on their face. But so was Ryoma, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and the others. They haven't stop "Ohhh!", "Ahhh!", "Wow!", "Again!" from the begining of the show. The dolphines jumped high in the air, flipped on themselves, jumped across hoops before plunged back in the water.

_'Looking at them, they are like children,' _Sanada, Tezuka and Oshitari thought. Fuji and Yukimura, knowing what they were thinking, chuckled. Inui recorded everything on his digital camera. But this time, he didn't do it with a purpose of collecting data. It was for a souvenir of their last summer vacations. He and Yanagi planned to give a copy for everyone later.

A dolphin threw a big green balloon in the audience. Touga caught it. Excited, he immediately ran to the pool to give back the balloon. Without realizing what she was doing, Ryoma went right after him, to make sure he won't hurt himself and slide on the wet ground. Sora, clung to her right hand, went with her too.

"Kabaji!" Atobe called Kabaji to go after Ryoma and the children to watch over them.

"Usu!" Kabaji immediately stood up, but a hand stopped him.

"It's alright, Kabaji," Fuji said. "I will go."

"Usu!" Kabaji sat back next to Atobe. Fuji hastily rejoined Ryoma and the children.

* * *

At the pool.

"Thank you little boy," a staff trainer of the dolphins said to Touga as he took the balloon back. Touga beamed. He was so happy to see the dolphins so near. A dolphin swam to Touga and put his bottled nose on the edge of the pool. Its made a funny sound.

"Eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrk!"

Touga giggled.

"Touga," Ryoma appeared next to Touga with Sora.

"Nee-chan," Touga said. "Look, did you heard his funny sound? And isn't he also a funny guy too?"

Ryoma smiled, nodding.

"Do you want to touch Ami?" the staff asked Touga.

"Huh?" Touga didn't understand what the staff told him. He talked in English.

"He asked you if you want to touch Ami," Ryoma translated.

"Ami?" Touga repeated.

"His name is Ami," the staff said, petting the dolphin's head. Ryoma translated again.

"Eeeeeekkk! Eekk! Eekk! Eeeeeeekk!"

"I can? Really?" Touga excitedly asked. The staff nodded.

Slowly, Touga raised his hand to the nose of the dolphin. But Touga was a little bit small and couldn't reach the edge of the pool. Suddenly, he was lifted up by two arms. Touga turned his head to see his uncle.

"Syuu-nii! Thank you!"

Fuji nodded to him. Now, Touga could touch the dolphin. Ami rubbed his nose in Touga's extended hand.

"Eeeeekk! Eeeek! Eeeeeeek!" Ami said.

"Hahahahaha!" Touga laughed.

"Me too! Me too! I want to touch Ami!" Sora said, pulling on Ryoma's hand.

Ryoma looked at the staff, asking his permission. The staff smiled, nodding. Ryoma lifted Sora in her arms and approached the little girl to the dolphin. Sora extended her hand to the dolphin. But the dolphin avoided Sora's hand. Instead, he nuzzled his nose against her cheek, kissing her.

"Chuuuuu!"

Sora beamed happily and giggled.

"Hihihihihi!"

"Touga, Sora, what should you say to the nice mister?" Fuji said.

"Domo arigatou gozaimashita, ojii-chan!" Touga and Sora chorused, bowing.

"Huh?!" the staff didn't understand what they said.

"They said thank you, for letting them play with the dolphin," Ryoma translated for him.

"Ah! That was a pleasure, kids!" the staff said, patting Touga's and Sora's head.

"Eeeeerrrrkkk! Eeeeeeeeerrk! Eeeeeerkk!"

Ryoma and Fuji bowed a last time to the staff and carried the children away.

* * *

(1) jankenpon: rock-paper-scissors.

P.S.: All the attractions used in this chapter were inspired from Montreal's La Ronde. Personally, I had never been there so I have no idea what's La Ronde. My friends who went there during a summer vacations told me about that attraction park. From that she told me, it sounds... sickning (she lost her lunch after a ride on the roller coster). Yet, she added that she had an awesome day at La Ronde despite the fact the she had lost her lunch (sometimes, I have a hard time understanding how my friend's logical mind works... T_T). So that's why I had the idea to use La Ronde. However, La Ronde had a web page presenting all its attractions of the season. All I did was scroll down the page and pick some attractions to make this chapter. So if you want to know about the attraction, go on the Montreal's La Ronde web page.


	29. Summer vacations: At the beach

The next day, they went to the beach. They choose a nice spot were a table under a parasol was reserved for them. With Kaoko's and Aoko's help, Ryoma helped the children change into their swimming suit. Touga wore a blue short with a dolphin. Sora had an orange two-piece. Ryoma wore a white one-piece with fuchsia flowers pattern.

Ryoma wasn't an eye-catch big boobs girl in a bikini. Her proportions weren't anything special, but the boys turned their head when she passed. Why? Because she was the only girl who wasn't in a bikini. In the eyes of the boys, she was like an alien, so she caught their attention. But after looking carefully at her, they thought that she wasn't that bad, even if she wasn't wearing a bikini. Those boys kind of got sick of seeing big boobs in bikini that covered almost nothing every day. A normal shaped girl in a one-piece was refreshing to look at in their eyes. Two guys - a long blond and a short spiky black hair - came to her, in hopes of getting acquainted with her.

"Hey miss, are you alone? Do you want to come with us?" the blond asked her.

"No, I don't want to!" And Ryoma continued her way.

"Wait!" the spiky black hair guy stopped from walking away. "It will be more fu-…!" He immediately shut up.

He and his companion's face's changed color. Despite their perfect tan, they became completely white because of something behind Ryoma. Curious, Ryoma turned around to see what could make them look so frightened. There were only Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori standing behind her, smiling their every day, happy-go-lucky grins.

"Yo, Echizen!" Kirihara said, his arms behind his head.

"Oh, it's you guys," Ryoma said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori grinned. Ryoma returned back to the two boys.

"What where you going to say again?" Ryoma asked the spiky black hair boy.

"N-nothing…!" the guy stuttered.

Because she wasn't watching, the four regulars behind her transformed back into evil blood-thirsty monsters with long, sharp fangs and blood red eyes.

"S-SORRY! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The two play-boys ran away. Ryoma look at the two black dots that disappeared to the end of the beach.

"Weird people!" Ryoma said. Sora and Touga giggled.

And those two guys weren't the only victims of Ryoma's four (unknown) watch-dogs.

* * *

The weather was nice and sunny. The water was warm and it was a pleasure to swim in. Sora played in the water with her dolphin shape fish toy with Ryoma. Touga, Kirihara and Ootori were running around with a water gun. Yuuta, Shishido, Hiyoshi, Kikumaru and Gakuto were surfing. Marui, Niou, Yagyuu and Sanada were having a volley ball match, attracting spectators around. Yanagi was the referee while Inui took notes. Atobe watched the game from his seat under an parasol, sipping orange juice. Kabaji stood behind him. Yukimura, Fuji, Tezuka and Oshitari were at a table next to him. Behind them were gathered many girls and women, who kept looking at them with dreamy eyes. Yukimura was enjoying the scene of the beach. Fuji, sat across Yukimura, put down his classical poetry book and petted Karupin, who was sleeping, curled on his lap. Tezuka continued to read his psychological book while Oshitari listened to some Liszt music.

After swimming, Sora wanted to collect sea shells and Ryoma helped her. After that, they started building a sand castle. However, Kirihara, who was chasing Touga, tripped in a bucket containing the shells and spilled it. By doing so, he accidentally shoot cold water into Ryoma's face and crushed the sand castle.

"Arrrrrrrrgh!" Sora and Ryoma growled.

The girls put so much effort into building up something that (supposedly) looks like a castle (though not really, considering Ryoma's _amazing _(cough cough) artistic skills and Sora's still unskillful hands), but their effort were soon destroyed.

"Sora, have you ever played the game to-bury-a-person-alive before?" Ryoma asked, her eyes on fire, fixed on Kirihara.

"No, but I want to play it now," Sora said.

"Oh oh…" Kirihara's face became blue.

"How about that we start with him?" Ryoma asked again. Kirihara broke out in a cold sweat.

"Excellent idea, nee-chan!"

"Aaah…" Kirihara trailed. Then scampered away. Ryoma and Sora snatched the water gun from Touga and Ootori and hunted Kirihara.

"Come back here!" Ryoma and Sora roared.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kirihara ran away from the two she-devils behind him and who were after his head. He hoped he could keep his life for a couple more hours.

Kirihara shot behind him, but Ryoma and Sora dodged. It was Ootori and Touga who got shot instead. It was unfair to shoot at unarmed people. Ootori and Touga wanted revenge and ran after him. Kirihara shoot again, this time turning his head behind to have a better aim. But he bumped into the surfers, who were returning back. Because of their large surfboards, they knocked into each other and a big painful red lump grew on the top of their head. Next, they joined Ryoma, Sora, Touga and Ootori to hunt down Kirihara. Kirihara skipped away in the direction of the beach ball court. Sadly, he crashed into Atobe, splashing the orange juice all over the obocchan. It was a disgracing sigh to see the royal Atobe Keigo sloshed with orange juice all over him. Atobe increased the numbers of Kirihara's pursuers. Kirihara knocked into the high chair in which Yanagi was sat. Yanagi felt, his face in the sand.

"Yabe…" Kirihara trailed.

Yanagi's leg had hit Niou on the head. Niou missed his ball and sent it into Marui's face. The ball dropped at Marui's feet.

"Game and match. Yagyuu-Sanada pair," Inui called.

"Grrrrrrrrr!" Marui-Niou team weren't happy about the final conclusion of the game. They decided to make the culprit of their defeat pay. They eyed menacingly Kirihara, who's face was bluer and was sweating cold sweat.

"Why you…" Yanagi transformed into a giant with an evil black aura around him. He looked down at Kirihara with his eyes OPEN.

Thus, Kirihara got hunted down by Ryoma, Sora, Touga, Ootori, Yuuta, Shishido, Gakuto, Hiyoshi, Kikumaru, Atobe, Marui, Niou and Yanagi. Sora aimed at Kirihara and shot, but she missed. Instead, she hit Tezuka in the face. Tezuka dripped with cold water.

_Pop! Twitch!_

The pursuers and the pursued froze on the spot.

"TEN LAPS AROUND THE BEACH!" Tezuka roared.

"Urgggggggggggggh!" They cringed. Inui appeared, a cup of green juice in one hand and a stopwatch in the other. He smiled.

"Ganbatte ne (1)!" Inui said. Ryoma's and the boys' faces turned blue.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" They instantly flew away.

Ryoma, Sora and Kirihara flung their water guns behind them and Kabaji caught them. Kaoko kept clicking repeatedly on her photo camera while Aoko constantly fixed the objective of her video camera on the group, giggling. Yagyuu examined Inui's cup of juice. He smelled it, then frowned.

"Inui, this is…" Oshitari said.

Inui don't say anything and calmly put back his watch. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled while Tezuka wiped himself with a towel, the vein still popping on his forehead.

"Hmhmhmhmhm!" Enzou and Shindou laughed as they prepared to set out a picnic.

* * *

After the tenth lap, they finally returned, breathing heavily. Kirihara was carrying Sora under his arm and Niou, Touga. The kids weren't used to run laps, especially in the sand. Their throats were dry because they ran too much. They wished to have something to quench down their thirst. In answer to their wish, Kaoko and Aoko appeared in front of them, smiling.

"Here, take this," Kaoko said.

"It will make you feel better," Aoko said.

The group saw each maid carrying a tray on which were displayed many glasses filled with ice cubes and… sparkling _**GREEN**_ juice!

_'Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!'_

Kaoko and Aoko even took the pain to decorate the glasses with a straw and a slice of lemon or a hibiscus flower. The glass of juice looks… appealing, in the eyes of people who dodn't know about Inui's juice of course. For people who know about it, like Ryoma and the boys, they turned green and skipped a step away from Kaoko and Aoko.

"It's very delicious, I assure you," Fuji said, showing them his half consumed glass of green juice in his hand. "You wouldn't want to pass on such a wonderful and refreshing drink." Fuji smiled dazzlingly to them.

The former laps runners could see Sanada's, Yagyuu's and Oshitari's glasses placed in front of them. The glasses were still full, nothing consumed. Sanada, Yagyuu and Oshitari don't even LOOK at their glass. Only Yukimura had drank his juice, but all the regulars know that Yukimura's and Fuji's taste buds are of the same kind. Ryoma and the boys turned greener.

_'I really don't want to drink it. I would rather die from thirst!'_ they screamed in their head.

"Here!" the two maids insisted with a sparkling and inviting smile. They stepped again one step in their direction. Ryoma and the boys skipped back three more steps.

Alas, in their youth and innocence, and because of their thirst, Touga and Sora were completely hypnotized by the appealing glasses of juice. They watched the green liquid with enchanted eyes. Each of them took a glass.

"Touga! Sora! No!" Ryoma and Yuuta yelled. But it was too late, the kids already sipped in their drink.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma and the boys screamed for the two poor young souls. They prayed kami-sama to take very good care of them once they will be up there.

But Sora and Touga broke into a blissful expression, feeling cool.

"Hummmn!" Touga licked his lips. "Can I have another one, please?"

"Me too, please!" Sora said.

"Of course! Here!" Aoko gave to each a new glass.

"What!" Ryoma and the boys were dumbfounded. How come the kids like Inui's juice?

"Come to think about it," Shishido said. "They are Fuji's relatives. Could it be that they also have Fuji's taste buds?"

"It's a good explanation," Gakuto said.

"No," Yuuta said. "Sora's and Touga's taste buds are absolutely normal. Nothing like aniki's. I can guarantee it." Fuji chuckled.

"Then, how come…?" Kirihara asked. He watched Sora and Touga enjoying another glass of green juice with horrifying eyes. Kirihara turned more and more purple at each gulp that went down the kids' throat.

"There is only one way to know the answer…" Marui slowly said. He and Niou nodded in agreement. Crossing their arms behind their head, Niou and Marui pretended to look at the sky and whistleling at the same and secretly step by step got closer to Ryoma. Suddenly, Ryoma got immobilized by her arms by Niou so she cannot run away.

"Ah! Hey! What are you doing?" Ryoma squirmed. Marui grabbed a glass on Kaoko's tray and forced in down Ryoma's throat. "Yaddaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

_Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp!_

Yuuta, Shishido, Hiyoshi, Gakuto, Ootori and Kirihara sweat dropped.

_'That's it! I can't believe that today is my last day on earth. And I couldn't hug you a last time, Karupin!' _

"Meow?" Karupin woke up from Fuji's lap to look at his mistress, who has an incredibly original face color by now. She was green… Err… No. White…? Err… No. She was changing into blue now. Ah! That's not it! She is purple now. Karupin wondered what happen to his mistress. Not that he doesn't like purple, but he preferred his mistress in her normal colors.

Marui made Ryoma drink all the content of the glass. Ryoma fought to be freed from Niou's hold. She wanted to kill the red and the porcupine head boys. She wanted to fill them with Inui's juice through a gasoline pump and at a flow of 100 liters per second. She wanted them to taste the bitterness of Inui's selected vegetables and the crappy taste of Inui's special concoction. She wanted too…

_'Huh?' _Ryoma stopped her murderous ideas. _'Wait…'_ She slowly flicked her tongue in her mouth. _'Hmm…'_ She decided to allow her taste buds to thoroughly taste the green liquid. _'This is…' _The taste was not of Inui's usual juice. It was a little bit sour, but it was sweet. And because the juice were bathed in ice cubes, it was refreshing. Very tasty. It wasn't Inui's veggie juice after all. It was the taste of…

"Kiwi…" Ryoma trailed out.

"That's right, Echizen-hime-sama," Shindou said, smiling. "It's kiwi juice."

"We also added a little bit of lemon juice and salt so you don't get dehydrated under this strong sun," Enzou explained.

"Ah! It's kiwi juice? Then I want one too!" Kirihara said. He ran to Kaoko and Aoko.

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Hey! Me too!"

Kikumaru, Gakuto and the others joined with Kirihara. Since it was kiwi juice, they didn't mind drinking the green juice. Marui and Niou let go of Ryoma and went to the maids with the other boys. They emptied the trays and everyone sipped in their straw.

"It's true. It's kiwi juice," Shishido said.

"It's very good!" Gakuto said.

"But then, why Yagyuu, Sanada and Oshitari didn't…?" Hiyoshi pondered. They boys turned to look at the table. Yagyuu, Sanada and Oshitari were calmly sipping in their glass.

"Hum? We what?" Yagyuu innocently asked.

They looked at him with slitted eyes.

_'They purposely made us think that it was Inui's juice!'_

"I told you it was delicious and refreshing," Fuji said.

"Aniki, a judgement of taste from you can never be considered trustworthy," Yuuta said. Fuji chuckled.

"And here I really thought it was another poisonous concoction from Inui," Kikumaru said.

"I never said it was my juice," Inui said. "I only encouraged you to do your best while running your laps."

They looked at him with slitted eyes too.

_'He purposely scared us!'  
_

They preferred not to say anything. Fuji and Yukimura chuckled again.

"Oh well! I'm happy to drink this thing. I feel much better now!" Marui said.

"Hmn!" Niou agreely nodded, taking another sip from his straw.

Suddenly, Marui and Niou felt cold in their back…

Hmm…

No! Frozen.

Yes. Frozen!

Gulping, they slowly turned around… to see a giant, furious Ryoma with flames from hell dancing around her. She looked down at them with red eyes, showing them her fangs.

"Grrrrrrrrr…" Ryoma growled.

"Huph!" Marui and Niou gulped again. Ryoma charged. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The next second, Marui and Niou were buried in the sand, with only their head spared.

"Ara ara ara…" Marui and Niou whimpered. Ootori and Kirihara crouched down to look at the two head with swirling eyes.

"Didn't you learn anything when she hit me with a table?" Ootori asked.

"But she's not PMS'ing today," Niou said.

"Ah! That's true…" Kirihara said. "Anyway, I'm happy I'm not at your place. Hahahahaha!"

"By the way, Kirihara…" Ryoma said from behind Kirihara. Kirihara turned around to see a furious Ryoma. And a furious Sora next to her too. "You crushed our sand castle, didn't you?" Ryoma slowly finished.

_'Oop! They didn't forget…'_

Ryoma and Sora charged.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The next second, Kirihara was buried next to Marui.

"Come on, Sora!"

"Hmph!"

Ryoma and Sora walked away, leaving the three buried bodies to cook in their grave. Yagyuu, Oshitari, Yanagi and Inui closely examined Ryoma's work.

"Impressive," Yanagi said.

"I agree," Oshitari said.

"Echizen's is unskillful with her hands. But when it comes to digging graves, she is very good," Yagyuu said. "A remarkable craft work."

"Hmm," Inui nodded while scribbling in his notebooks.

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled again while Sanada and Tezuka sighed heavily.

* * *

It was long past noon. It was about time to restore themselves. Enzou and Shindou had finished setting out a picnic, which they were all grateful for. They happily guzzled down the sandwiches: salmon, tuna, jam, strawberry and various fruits. There were also paté de foie, duck and other delicacies. After that, Kaoko served an ice cream cake for everyone while Aoko cut a watermelon for those who wanted to eat more. Kirihara and Touga were at it again, spitting melon seeds to each other. Sanada smacked them on the head, remaining them of their manners of a gentleman eating in front of ladies - Ryoma and Sora.

After the lunch, Ryoma felt sleepy and decided to nap. She laid on the blanket and closed her eyes. Sora and Touga joined her, curled against her. Kabaji added more parasols over them so they wouldn't get sunburned. Soon, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori too fell into a slumber. Little by little, the others also thought that a nap wasn't such a bad idea. They closed their eyes and let themselves be immerged in a light sleep. The only ones who remained awake were Yukimura, Fuji, Kabaji, the two maids and the two butlers. Giggling, but not too loudly, Kaoko and Aoko fixed their sleeping faces in their cameras. Smiling at their actions, Fuji looked Touga, then at Sora. His nephew and niece seemed to be having a very good day, like the past days, considering the smile on their peaceful sleeping face. And that's thanks to slipped a soft glance to_…_

_'Ryoma-chan…'  
_

After many minutes, Fuji's eyes were still fixed on Ryoma.

_'Hmm…?' _Yukimura, who saw him, thought. _'That's unsual for you to look at someone for so long, Fuji. Especially a girl…'_

He observed Fuji again, who was still looking at Ryoma.

_'It seems like someone finally succeed to open the doors of your heart__…'  
_

Yukimura secreetly smiled. _  
_

_'This is getting interesting! Huhuhuhuhu!__' _he silently chuckled.

* * *

(1) ganbatte ne: do your best.


	30. Snow White part 1: Unfamous singers

A/N: This chapter doesn't count in the story. I wrote it only because there were requests for Snow White.

* * *

**OMAKE!**

Seiyou Academy tennis club movie theater.

* * *

"So, we are going to do Snow White this time," Inui said. "Who wants to play who?"

"I don't want to play anything," Ryoma, Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori answered.

"I knew that you would say that again," Oshitari said, sighing, rubbing his forehead.

Yanagi showed them his fist. He was holding many white ribbon papers.

"This will decide your role. If you pick a red end paper, you will be Snow White. If it's green, you're a dwarf. Purple, the witch queen. Yellow, the hunter. White, you're a support character. The role of the prince is still to Fuji. Now pick!" he ordered.

Gulping, each of them pulled a paper. And their fate was sealed.

* * *

"How come the dwarfs are taller than Snow White?" Ryoma yelled. She was dressed in a blue bodice and a yellow skirt. A red ribbon adorned her hair.

"It's not our fault if you're short!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori retorted back. The wore a green costume with brown pants.

_Pop! Twitch! _Growl. They said **_that_** word again.

_'Those bastards…' _Ryoma grunted in her head.

"Why must I do this?" Shishido asked to no one in particular, sighing. He too was dressed in a dwarf costume.

"I'm also wondering the same thing…" Yagyuu mumbled.

Shishido look at the the 7th dwarf, who seemed to be in a lot of pain. He was crouched, holding his head in his hands and his body was shaking madly.

"Sanada-senpai, are you alright?" Shishido asked. Sanada, ready to crack, don't answer. He bit his lips so he won't explode.

"I'm a dwarf… I'm a dwarf… Why am I a dwarf…? This is not right… This is not right… This is humiliating… I cannot be a dwarf… I'd rather be a tree or a guard… But not a dwarf… Not a dwarf…" Sanada mumbled non-stop.

Shishido sweat dropped.

_'Guess he's not all right…' _Shishido and Yagyuu presumed.

"So let's start!" Inui commanded.

* * *

Seiyou Academy tennis club movie theater.

Presenting: _**Snow White **_movie, Teni-Puri version.

* * *

"Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen who lived in a foreign kingdom," Hiyoshi started.

On the black screen, a spot light showed a king wearing oval spectacles and a wavy blue hair queen dressed in royal clothes.

"The king and the queen have no children, but they prayed everyday to have one. On a winter day, as the queen was sewing at her window, she pricked her finger with the needle. Three drops of her blood dropped on the snow. Seeing the red blood on the white snow, the queen made a wish."

"Please God, grant me a child with the skin as white as the snow, the lips red as the blood and the hair black as ebony."

"A year later, the queen's wish was granted. A princess was born. She had skin as white as the snow, lips as red as the blood and hair as black as ebony. They named the infant Snow White. But not long after the birth of the child, the queen died. The king married a new queen, who was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom. And no other woman in the near by kingdoms can be compared to her."

A new queen appeared on the scene, dressed in a green velvet dress. But this queen was…

_'Scary…'_ the spectators thought.

Through the green dress, Kaido's very built body was visible. His shoulders were slightly bend, his eyes slits, fixing blankly in front of him with his tiny black orbs. Snake posture and snake glare. People sweat dropped. The queen… was not very queen-like…

_'There is a problem in the casting,'_ they thought.

"Fssssshhhh…"

* * *

"In truth, the queen was a witch. She had a magical mirror in which a spirit lived. That spirit knew everything in the world. Everyday, she visited the mirror to ask him a same, unique question."

"Mirror, mirror," the queen called the spirit. "Tell me who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"It's you, my queen," the mirror, Momoshiro, answered, grinning a goofily, stiffing his laugh.

_'Grrrrr…' _Kaido was fighting with himself to restrain the urge to punch the mirror.

"As the years pass, Snow White grew into a beautiful young woman. One day, the mirror answered that the most beautiful woman in the world was no longer the queen, but Snow White. The queen decided to kill the princess. She sent a hunter to do it."

* * *

Snow White and the hunter were walking in the forest. Snow White was ahead, the hunter behind her. After a moment, Snow White noticed that the hunter was no longer following. She turned on her heels to watch at him. The hunter, Kawamura, was trying clumsily to remove the dagger from his belt.

"Hmm… Hmm… Hmm…" Kawamura was shaking so much that he couldn't correctly pull out the dagger. Snow White looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Hunter-san, do you need help removing your dagger?" Snow White asked.

"N-n-no… n-n-no… I… I… I c-c-c-ca… ca… can d-d-do… do… do it b-b-by m-m-my s-s-se-self… Th-th-than-thank y-y-you…" the hunter stuttered. "Ah!" He dropped the dagger and its rolled to Snow White's feet.

Ryoma picked it up and gave it to Kawamura.

"Kawamura-senpai, you don't have to be so nervous," Ryoma whispered to him. "All you have to do is to pretend plunging the dagger into my chest and kill…-!"

"Ahhhh…" Kawamura fainted.

"…me…" Ryoma finished, sweat dropping at the fainted senpai at her feet.

The idea of killing someone or something was just too much for Kawamura to bear, even if it was only for a play.

_'And to think that he's the power player of Seigaku and a scary guy when he grabs a racket…' _Ryoma thought. _'Anyway, let's continue to the next part…'_

* * *

"Because the hunter couldn't kill Snow White, he brought back to the queen the heart of an animal to disguise the true."

The queen opened the box which contained a heart.

. . .

And Kaido fainted.

". . ." No one said anything.

"Guess Kaido is of the same kind as Kawamura…" Gakuto said. "Strong on the tennis court, but very sensible heart…"

"And to think that it was only a fake heart borrowed from the skeleton of the biology teacher…" Oshitari said. Yuuta and Gakuto nodded.

"We have to replace Kaido," Atobe said. "Who is volunteering?"

"Hehehehehe…" someone laughed behind them. Gakuto, Oshitari, Yuuta and Atobe turned over to see Inui dressed in a black cloak. He was holding a basket of apples. Gakuto and Yuuta became blue and gulped.

_'Why he is laughing so creepily…?' _they wondered.

"So Inui will take the role of the witch from here," Oshitari said.

_

* * *

_

The sun was setting down. Snow White wandered in the wood, searching for a shelter for the night. Suddenly, a horrible noise can be hear thorough out the forest.

_"**RA RARARA RARA RARARA RARA!**"_

Snow White was so surprised by that horrible and out of tune song that she tripped on a rock in the middle of the way.

_Stomp!_

"Aaaaaaaaah! Ouch! Ara ara ara_…_" Snow White hit her head and lost conscious.

* * *

"**_RA RARARA RARA RARARA RARA!_** Ra rarara rara! Rarara rara!" The dwarfs of the forest sang on the top of their lunges, marching like happy soldiers, on their way back home.

It was the end of another long day of work. It was time to go back home. On their way back, to make the mood merrier, they sang. Well, only four of them sang: dwarf Kirihara, dwarf Marui, dwarf Niou and dwarf Ootori. Behind them, dwarf Shishido was covering his ears with his hands to avoid himself from getting a headache. Dwarf Sanada was trying to refrain himself from killing them while dwarf Yagyuu wasn't bothered by their singing. Even if dwarf Yagyuu had always thought that the four younger dwarfs sing very badly - not to mention that they are tune-deaf -, he always encouraged them to sing every night on their way back home.

_'With their horrible singing, no wild animal is insane enough to attack us,' _dwarf Yagyuu thought. Of course, dwarf Yagyuu always wore ear plugs before the four self-proclaimed singers started their (awfully horrible) song, scarifying away every single living creature in the forest in a radius of 100 meters.

"Ra rarara ra-!… Eh! Ahhhhhh!" Dwarf Kirihara stumbled on something and fell.

"What's wrong Kirihara?" Dwarf Marui asked.

"Something in the middle of the way…" Kirihara responded, his face in the dirt.

The six dwarfs looked down on the ground to see a body.

"Ah! It's princess Snow White!" dwarf Shishido recognized the princess in the yellow skirt.

"What is she doing here in the middle of the forest? Alone and at this time of the night?" dwarf Sanada wondered while dwarf Yagyuu checked on the princess.

"She has a lump on her head. Probably she hit something and lost consciousness," dwarf Yagyuu said. "We should bring her home. It's dangerous to leave her here alone."

The seven dwarfs agreed.

* * *

Snow White stirred. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes. She was laid in a bed… and saw over her head four pairs of wide open eyes looking down at her.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" she yelled out of fright.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" dwarfs Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori yelled too.

"I told you; you will scare her, staying so close to the bed," dwarf Yagyuu told them, sighing.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Snow White asked in panic.

"We are the dwarfs of the forest. We found you unconscious on our way home and we brought you here," dwarf Sanada explained.

"Oh yeah. I remember now," Snow White said, rubbing her head where it was a little bit sore. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're princess Snow White, right?" dwarf Shishido asked. Snow White nodded. "What were you doing alone in the forest?"

"The queen wanted me to be killed. But the hunter couldn't kill me so he let me go," Snow White explained. _'Well, it was more me who left the hunter because I was bored for waiting too long for him to regain consciousness. And I got lost.'_

"And how did you got knocked out yourself?" dwarf Yagyuu asked.

"I was searching for a shelter for the night when I heard a horrible and out of tune song. I was so surprised that I tripped. I fell and hit a rock on the head. That was how I got knocked out."

"A horrible and out of tune song?" dwarf Kirihara repeated.

"Yes. Something like '**_RA RARARA RARA RARARA RARA!_**'," Snow White brawled on the top of her lunges. The house of the dwarfs jumped in the air before it fell back on its site. All the animals around the house scampered away because of the dreadful singing. "That's it. That was how it sounds," Snow White finished.

All the dwarfs unplugged their ears, checking if their ears were still intact, if their eardrums weren't tore.

_'What a horrible singing!'_ they thought.

_'Is she also such a bad singer like them or is she a genius for imitating them so perfectly?' _dwarf Yagyuu wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a secret room in the highest tour of the castle, the witch was preparing a concoction. She had decided that she will take care of Snow White by herself.

"Hehehehehe…" the witch laughed as she stirred something in her cauldron. It was a green potion with a lot of bubbles and fume, which was cooking on the fire. And the smell from the cauldron gave nausea to all people around.

Kikumaru, hid behind Ooishi, gagged his nose and mouth with his hand. Like Gakuto and Yuuta, he didn't want to smell the odor from the cauldron.

"Uggggggh! I understand now why Inui wants to be the witch," Kikumaru said. "He can enjoy making his poisonous potion without people complaining against him!"

"Hehehehehe…"

The witch dipped an apple in the potion. On the red fruit, a skeleton head appeared.

The guys swore they heard a horrible ghostly and creepy scream coming from the apple.

_'Poor Ryoma/Ochibi-chan/Echizen…' _Yuuta, Kikumaru and Gakuto thought. _'She will have to eat it.'_

* * *

Snow White staid at the dwarfs' house. In exchange for the free dwelling, she did the chores and cooked the meals. She often went into the forest to pick up foods. One day, on her way back, she met an old woman wearing a black cloak and carrying a basket full of red apples.

"Can I help you, madame?" Snow White asked.

"Nhehehehehe," the old woman laughed.

Snow White felt shivers creeping down her back.

_'What a creepy laugh,'_ Snow White thought.

Backstage

Yuuta, Gakuto, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaido shuddered too, feeling very cold.

_'What a creepy laugh,'_ they thought.

Gakuto took out a candle and lit it.

"What are you doing, Gakuto?" Yuuta asked.

"I'm praying for Echizen's safety," Gakuko answered. He clapped his hands and closed his eyes, praying.

Yuuta, Kikumaru, Kaido, Momoshiro and Kaido looked at each other.

_'Good idea,' _they thought. They gathered with Gakuto in front of the candle and prayed.

_'Be alright, Ryoma/Ochibi-chan/Echizen.'_

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

In the forest.

"My child, hehehehehe…" the old woman spoke to Snow White. "I have here very delicious apples, very good and healthy for your young body. Hehehehehe…"

_'What a creepy voice too,'_ Snow White thought.

"Errr…"

"You are still young. You must take very good care of your body. Make sure to eat them all. And eat them today while they are still fresh. Hehehehehe…" With that, the old woman put the basket in Snow White's arms and walked away like a creepy black ghostly shadow sliding on the ground. "Hehehehehe…"

The old woman disappeared in the forest, leaving a bewildered Snow White behind, her creepy laugh still echoing thorough out the wood.

Left alone, Snow White picked up an apple from the basket. She looked at it, staring at it. Then, she lift it up and…

* * *

A/N: Part 2 of Snow White next time.


	31. Snow White part 2: Food poisoning

From last time…

Left alone, Snow White picked up an apple from the basket. She looked at it, staring at it. Then, she lift it up to and…

And put it back in the basket. She was just curious of how this apple can be good and healthy for the body, like the old woman had stated. But after carefully examining it, she didn't see anything special about it.

_'It just very ordinary apple,' _Snow White thought. _'I should go back now.'_ And she continued her way back to the house of the dwarfs.

Backstage

_'Thank you kami-sama, for listening to our prayer!'_ Gakuto, Yuuta, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaido thought.

* * *

"Tadaimaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" dwarfs Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori shouted as soon as they entered the house.

Snow White removed her ear plugs. She had asked them from dwarf Yagyuu to avoid herself getting into another bad luck accident, like the one she had in the first day, each time the dwarfs returned back home, singing.

"Okaeri," she greeted them. "The supper is ready," Snow White said as she put in the middle of the already set table a bowl of mushroom cream soup. The smell of the soup titillated the dwarfs' nostril.

_Sniff sniff!  
_

"Hummm…!"

"Smell delicious…"

"Uma sou…"

_Guru guru guru guru! _Their stomach immediately reacted to the wonderful smell.

"Go and wash your hands and we can start," Snow White said.

Dwarf Sanada, Yagyuu and Shishido did as she told them, but not our young (tune-deaf) singers. The smell of the soup was so good that they immediately charged at the table, not hearing Snow White's command. The princess grew a red vein. She grabbed the ladle in the soup pot and smacked them, sending them out through the small window of the house.

"Go and wash your hands, I told you!" Snow White repeated.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

_Splash!_

The four dwarfs landed in the water tub under the window, where the other dwarfs finished washing their hands.

"We have a princess at our table. Keep your manners," dwarf Sanada said to the soaking wet dwarfs in the tub.

"Hai…" the four miserable youngsters trailed out.

* * *

Thus, one princess, three dwarfs with clean hands and four other cleaned from the head to the toe dwarfs (they had a bath) ate the supper together. Though they were only eight people, Snow White had learn to always make food for twenty people and more. Otherwise, there will be a battle for the foods, especially from four troublemakers. And because there was (more than) enough food, all the dwarfs ate in a peaceful atmosphere to the last crumble of bread. Alas, the peace didn't last for a very long time…

"Hey! What's that basket?" dwarf Kirihara spot it on the counter of the kitchen. He drew the attention of the other dwarfs to the said basket. Except dwarf Yagyuu and Sanada, all the others gathered around the basket.

"It's apple!" dwarf Marui said. Dwarf Shishido picked one and hold it up so everybody could look at it.

"They all look so crunchy and juicy," dwarf Niou said, drool appearing in the corner of his mouth. "Snow White, did you pick them?"

"Oh! That! It was a creepy old woman in a black cloak who gave them to me while I went picking mushroom," Snow White answered.

"A creepy old woman?" dwarf Sanada repeated.

"Hmn," Snow White nodded. "She said something like the apples are good and very healthy for young body."

"Good and healthy for the body!" Kirihara exclaimed, excited. "Then we should eat them for our health because we are still young!"

"Hmn! Hmn!" dwarfs Marui, Niou and Ootori vividly nodded, agreeing with him.

And that was the last second of a peaceful meal. The four youngest dwarfs jumped on the basket, trying to get apples as much as possible for themselves. However, only one or two apples weren't enough for them. Soon, they decided that they wanted the whole basket for them alone.

"This is mine!" Kirihara said, the basket in his hands.

"No! Mine!" dwarf Marui grabbed the handle of the basket and pull.

"No! Mine!" dwarf Niou and Ootori jumped in too.

The four dwarfs pull all their strength on the basket and the handle broke, spilling all the apples on the floor. They jumped on the apples.

"Ahhhh!" Poor dwarf Shishido, who got caught in the battle too.

_Bing bing! _

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! _

_Bonk!  
_

"You shouldn't eat foods coming from a total and suspicious stranger," dwarf Yagyuu said. But no one listened.

_Boom boom! Thwack!_

"Would stop fighting already?" dwarf Sanada snapped.

_Bink bink! Bonk! Bang! Bang! Pouffff!_

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!" Angry to see that the youngsters didn't listen to him, old dwarf Sanada decided to teach them a lesson. He jumped in the mass.

_Bang! Bang! Bink! Bonk! Bonk! Bang!  
_

Snow White and dwarf Yagyuu sweat dropped. An apple was thrown out from the chaotic mass straight to Snow White's direction. She dodged it.

"Hey! Watch out!" she snapped. Two others apples followed next, but she couldn't avoid them. One knocked her on the forehead and the other… straight in her mouth. Accidentally, she bit into it. Immediately, she lost all her colors.

_'This apple is not… normal…'_

And she fainted.

"Ryoma/Ochibi-chan/Echizen!" Yuuta, Kikumaru, Gakotu, Momoshiro cringed.

"Fsssssshhhhhh!"

"Oh my!" Dwarf Yagyuu went to check the fainted princess, examining her. _'Did she faint because she got knocked by the apple or because of the apple she bit in?'_

Dwarf Yagyuu turned his attention to the others dwarfs… and sweat dropped at the sigh in front of him. They were all laid on the floor with a horrible purple-blue face color. Many bitten apples were scattered around them.

"Ahhhhh… There is something wrong with these apples…" dwarf Kirihara whimpered.

"Haaa…" the others agreed. And they all fainted too.

_'Hum… Guess it's a food poisoning…' _dwarf Yagyuu concluded. He looked at the seven bodies in chibi form on the floor, his right eye ticking. _'And now, I'm stuck to take care of seven sick people alone.' _

"This is troublesome. Haaa…" he sighed hopelessly.

* * *

The next day, the prince of a neighborhood by kingdom traveled into the forest of the dwarfs. He was on his way back home from a journey. He took the road across the forest because it was a shortcut. But because his coachman Jirou fell asleep while conducting the carriage, they got lost. So before they got lost further more, the prince moved the coachman inside the carriage to let him sleep, and he took the command of the horses. And now, he was wandering around, in hope to find a way to get out of the forest.

"Hmm… Now, which way should I go?"

After many hours of turning around, around and around, he spotted a little house.

"Ah! Maybe someone can tell me the way out of the forest."

The prince stopped the carriage in front of the house and knocked on the door. Someone answered. It was a man as tall as himself, wearing spectacles and dressed in green clothe. He had an apron on him and a white scarf was covering his purple blue hair.

"Yes?" dwarf Yagyuu asked.

"Hello mister," the prince said. "We are lost. Can you show us the way out of the forest, please?"

"Hm? We?" Dwarf Yagyuu saw the carriage. So this young man wasn't alone. Dwarf Yagyuu reflected a moment. Then he spoke again. "Fine, I will show you the way out of the forest, but on one condition."

"What is it?" the prince asked.

"I want to use your carriage to carry some sick people in town to see a doctor."

"Very well," the prince agreed. "If it can help you, I can introduce to you a very good doctor I know."

"Then I shall be grateful to you. Please wait here so I can get the said sick people. Can you open the trap on the top of your carriage please?"

"Euh, sure…" the prince answered and went to open the trap. "But why-…!"

The prince didn't have time to finish his question to the strange request that he got his answer. A body fell down from the sky.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" dwarf Kirihara yelled as he landed head first inside the carriage through the trap. "Ouch!"

The prince sweat dropped. From the window of the second floor, dwarf Yagyuu's head appeared.

"Did he fall in?" he asked.

"Euh… yes…" the prince hesitantly answered.

"Good."

Dwarf Yagyuu disappeared inside again. And three other bodies flew out from the same window.

"Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhh! OUCH!" dwarf Marui, Niou and Ootori followed the same path as dwarf Kirihara. Three more sweat drops appeared on the prince's head. He look up to see dwarf Yagyuu threw another body.

"If you like, I can help you carrying them down," the prince proposed.

"Ow!" Dwarf Shishido also landed in the carriage. A fifth sweat drop on the prince's head.

"That will help a lot. Thank you. Come inside," dwarf Yagyuu answered to the prince.

The prince went inside the house and climbed up stair. On the second floor were the bedrooms of the dwarfs. The prince found dwarf Yagyuu in a room. He was passing dwarf Sanada's left arm over his shoulders to support him up.

"There is only one last person in the next room," dwarf Yagyuu said as he carried down his charge.

The prince went to the next room. There was someone in the bed. He head to the bed to see a young woman with skin as white as the snow, hair as black as ebony and inviting red lips.

_'Oh my! What a pretty discovery!' _the prince thought, smiling a Cheshire cat smile. The prince slid his arms under her, lifted her in bridal style and carried her down. _'It's not such a bad thing that I get lost in the forest. Huhuhuhuhu!' _He silently chuckled.

After having delicately lay Snow White on the cushion in front of Jirou - and pretended ignoring the piled up bodies -, the prince returned to the conductor seat, where dwarf Yagyuu was waiting for him. Under dwarf Yagyuu's directory, the prince headed the horses out of the forest.

"By the way, what happen to them?" the prince asked.

"Haa…!" dwarf Yagyuu sighed. "They ate some strange foods," dwarf Yagyuu simply answered.

"Oh! Sou ka!"

* * *

They arrived to the kingdom of the prince. The prince conducted the carriage to the palace and called for the doctor. Doctor Yanagi was a brown hair man with permanently closed eyes, like the prince's ones. While the doctor examined the seven patients, checking their temperature, their pulse and their tongue, dwarf Yagyuu explained to him what happen.

"You said they ate some strange foods?" Doctor Yanagi asked.

"Yes." Dwarf Yagyuu gave to the doctor an apple that he brought with him. "They ate this. Apparently, this apple is not normal."

The doctor took the apple and brought it away to make some tests on it. After a moment, he returned back to the room where the dwarfs and Snow White were.

"Indeed, it wasn't a normal apple," the doctor explained. "After extracting the juice of the apple and have doing some tests on it, I discover that many things had been added in. Most of those things are nutrients from vegetables, fish and a lot of sardine oil. Very good and healthy for the body. However, the proportions of these nutriment are very big. Combined, the taste must be horribly dreadful. I think that these people simply got knocked out because of the high degree of bitterness and the sour taste of the vegetables mixed with the strong taste of the fish."

"So, it's not food poisoning?" dwarf Yagyuu asked.

"Well, in this case, I will consider it as a food poisoning. Anyone who eats this apple would be in the same situation as these people. I think that our prince is the only living person in the whole universe who can endure this taste - not to mention that he would certainly enjoy it too."

"Your prince?" dwarf Yagyuu asked.

"Yes, the young man who brought you in."

"Oh! So he's a prince," dwarf Yagyuu said.

"Anyway, in the current situation, your friends and the young lady will likely be knocked out for at least a week more. Probably two too. I'm not very sure about the time when they will wake up. It depends on their capacity to recover from that err… poisonous (!) apple, if I might say."

"Ha…!" dwarf Yagyuu sighed. "And to think that there are still a lot of work to be done in the forest before the end of the month. I cannot allow too much delays."

"If you'd like, I can prepare something which can help them recovering faster," the doctor said.

"Then please, do it."

* * *

After drinking the err… _antidote _(!) prepared by the nice doctor, Snow White and the dwarfs felt better. They slowly regained consciousness. Yet, they still haven't forgotten about the taste of the apple they ate.

"Urgh… I don't want to eat another apple in my life ever again… Ugggggh!" dwarf Kirihara said.

"Don't remind me of that anymore…" dwarf Marui said.

"I never knew that such an horrible taste can exist on this world," dwarf Niou added.

"In the whole universe you mean," dwarf Ootori said.

"Just the memory of the taste makes me want to puke…" dwarf Shishido added while trying to refrain himself from puking.

"Then stop talking about it!" dwarf Sanada said, his face blue.

"It's incredible that I'm still alive after eating that apple," Snow White said.

* * *

In the next room, dwarf Yagyuu discussed with the doctor and the prince.

"Thank you very much, doctor. Now, we will be able to finish our job in time," dwarf Yagyuu said.

"It's a pleasure," the doctor said.

"Thank you to you too, prince, for bringing us to him," dwarf Yagyuu said.

"It's also a pleasure," the prince said. "What is my reward? After all, it's thanks to me that they are still alive, right?"

"Your Highness, stop joking around," the doctor reprimanded the prince.

"Hmhmhmhmhm!" the prince chuckled. "It was only for fun."

"For fun or not, we still have to pay you back for your help. It's a rule for us, dwarfs of the forest," dwarf Yagyuu said. He reflected for a moment.

"Prince, you are still single right? Would you like to marry Snow White? She's a princess, you know," dwarf Yagyuu said. "The price of a princess is high enough to cover our debt toward you, right?"

"Oh!" the prince happily exclaimed. "So she's a princess! What a delightful news!"

"Then, it's settle," dwarf Yagyuu concluded.

* * *

The next second, Snow White found herself in a royal wedding dress. The prince, in a ceremonial costume, stood next to her, obviously very very happy.

"Snow White, you will marry the prince," dwarf Yagyuu stated. He changed his green usual clothes into a blue formal costume.

"Heh? What! Why?" Snow White asked, more like protesting.

"He saves your live. So now, you belong to him," dwarf Yagyuu explained. "Beside, I don't have enough money to pay him for saving my companions' life. But he accepted to marry you in exchange for his help. So…" He put a hand on her shoulder. "…live happily with him."

"Gag!" was Snow White's only reaction, her mouth gasped. She was sold out on a conclusion of a business exchange.

"Hmhmhmhm!" the prince chuckled. _'Jirou, I must thank you for getting us lost in the forest! Huhuhuhu!'_

* * *

The next second again, Snow White was sat next to the prince on the honor seats of a wedding banquet. It was a joyful and merry celebration. People were talking, laughing and dancing together. Only Snow White wasn't enjoying the party because her spirit was floating on her head. The prince, sat next to her, was rested on his elbow. He was enjoying himself very much as he watched his pretty bride's state of mind, chuckling.

"In honor of the marriage of the prince and Snow White, we shall sing a song for you," dwarf Kirihara announced.

"Yoooooo!" dwarfs Marui, Niou and Ootori cheered.

Snow White immediately snapped out from her reverie, horrified by that perspective. She didn't have ear plugs on her. But dwarf Sanada took care of the matter for her.

"No, you won't!" dwarf Sanada roared and jumped on the young dwarfs.

In a blink of the eye, the four enthusiastic dwarfs were tightly tied with ropes and gagged by a handkerchief. They struggled over and over to be released, but dwarf Sanada ignored them. Dwarf Shishido pretended that he didn't see dwarf Yagyuu threw behind him the leftover ropes. Dwarf Yagyuu too didn't carry his ear plugs with him.

"Your Highness, kiss your bride!" a guest said.

"A kiss! A kiss! A kiss!" other guests cheered.

"What?" Snow White yelped.

"Then I shall," the prince responded to his subject, smiling.

"Hourayyyyyyyyyyy!"

"Ah! Wait!" Snow White tried to protest, but the prince took her chin between his finger and brought her face closer to his, chuckling.

"My pretty bribe, this is a happy day," the prince said, his eyes looking at her tenderly. "We should comply to the wish of our people to make them happy."

Then, he slowly ascended his lips onto hers.

_'Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!'_

Like in all classical tales, it finished as "they have many children and they happily lived together forever".

* * *

But since this particular and twisted version of Snow White was an unconventional on, it finished in an unconventional way too.

"Fuji-senpai! The shooting is over! Would you get off of me now, _PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE_!" Ryoma yelled.

"Why? I like it, being like this," Fuji said, smiling. And he tigthened his arms around her. Ryoma tensed, her face became red and her head fumed.

"Ah! But Echizen-chan, I didn't catch the right angle of the kissing scene. Can you replay it again please?" Yukimura said, smiling.

Yuuta, Gakuto, Kikumaru and Momoshiro looked at Yukimura, sweat dropping. The shoot of the kissing scene was perfect. Why did Yukimura ask it to be retaken? But since it was Yukimura who ask it - and the worse, he did it while smiling -, it was better not to question him.

"_WADDA HE_-!"

"Of course, Yukimura! No problem!" Fuji enthusiastically and happily answered, cutting Ryoma.

"But I have a problem with that!" Ryoma protested.

"Oh! And can you kiss for real this time, instead of just pretending? It will be better!" Yukimura added, clapping his hands.

"Yadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

_'Poor Ryoma/Ochibi-chan/Echizen… She's being toyed by Yukimura and aniki/Fuji,' _Yuuta, Gakuto, Kikumaru and Momoshiro thought.

_'I'm sorry Echizen, but I won't_ _interfere,'_ Tezuka and Sanada thought. _'Please, bear it at our place for this time. Thank you.'_

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

_'Haa…!' _The other regulars sighed, feeling pity for the poor female regular, who was dying behind their back.

* * *

A/N: By the way, Ryoma didn't get kissed yet. It will be for another time. Yukimura and Fuji were only teasing her ^^.


	32. Clash with Germans

Notice:

_'Huh?'_: thinking;

"It's very good. Arigatou, ojii-san.": normal talking;

_"Alexander, what is it?"_: talking in German.

* * *

Ryoma pulled on the strings of her racket, testing their guts. She just had them changed. She smiled to the clerk.

"It's very good. Arigatou, ojii-san," Ryoma said.

"Dou itashimashite, ojou-chan," the clerk responded, smiling.

"Chibisuke, are you finished?" Ryoga asked.

"Hai."

Ryoma paid the clerk and the brother and sister left the shop. As they passed in front of a vending-machine, Ryoma stopped and pulled out a 100 yen coin and dropped it into the machine. She was going to push on the button for the grape Ponta, but Ryoga made another choice for her. He pushed on the orange flavor button.

"Aniki!" Ryoma protested.

"Hehehehe!" Ryoga grinned. "Chibisuke, it's boring to always drink grape. Life has many flavors; you should try them all and not limit yourself to only one."

"Life has many flavors. So why do you limit everything to orange only?" Ryoma retorted and sent him a kick.

"Hihihihihihi!" Ryoga laughed and dodged. Ryoma tried to punch him, but he also dodged, as well as all her other attempts to inflict him at least one strike. "Chibisuke, mada mada daze! You're still too slow!"

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Ryoma tried to attack him again.

"Hahahahaha!" Ryoga laughed as he avoided all of her attacks.

"Ryoma!" a voice called her.

"Huh?"

The two Echizens stopped their quarrel.

"Yuuta, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma greeted.

"Yo!" Ryoga saluted.

"Ya!" Fuji greeted back.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma asked.

"We are going to the public tennis court. And you?" Yuuta answered.

"Same thing!" Ryoga said.

"Then why don't we go together," Fuji proposed.

"Ah. Hai," Ryoma answered.

On the way to the court, Ryoma and Yuuta walked ahead while Ryoga and Fuji were behind them. The two younger chatted together, though Ryoma listened more than she talked. Fuji, being him, didn't talk unless it was necessary. However, his eyes were constantly fixed on Ryoma. And they were opened. Ryoga thought that he saw a soft expression in his eyes.

_'Huh?'__  
_

Unsure, he focused his attention on Fuji. While listening to Yuuta, Fuji's eyes were still fixed on the black emerald head in front of him, his lips gracing a gentle smile. Ryoga opened his eyes wide. Then, slowly, he smiled too, slyly.

_'Hmn… Sou ka… Interesting…'_

_Bump!_

"Ah! Itai!" Ryoma bumped into someone and fell on her behind.

"Chibisuke/Ryoma-chan/Ryoma!" Ryoga, Fuji and Yuuta hastened around her.

"Chibisuke, are you alright?" Ryoga worriedly asked and helped her to stand up. Ryoma simply nodded.

They looked at the person into who she bumped. It was a boy, maybe between Fuji's and Ryoga's age. He was tall and had a fairly pale complexion: very white skin, shoulder length light blond hair and pale royal blue eyes. At the first sight, one could tell that he was a foreigner. And a handsome one too. He wore a black sport suit with white and pale blue stripes across the chest. The boy and Ryoma fixed each other, not blinking.

_"Alexander, hurry!"_ one of his companions, who were behind him, called.

_'Germans?'_ Ryoma thought.

The boy glanced one last time at Ryoma, then left with his friends.

"Are you all right?" Yuuta asked her. Ryoma nodded.

"Fuji? Echizen-chan?" someone called. Ryoma turned her head to the direction of the voice.

"Senpai-tachi!"

"Hello," Yukimura greeted. Sanada nodded to them. Marui and Niou were there too.

"Hello," Fuji greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Yuuta asked.

"Yukimura wants to try a public tennis court," Sanada simply answered.

"Hmm…" Ryoma said, eyeing the pretty-girl boy buchou. Yukimura smiled. "And you, Marui-senpai and Niou-senpai?"

"We crossed with them so we decided to tag along," Marui said, blowing his bubble gum.

"How about you?" Yukimura asked.

"We were planning to have a couple of matches," Yuuta answered. "Care to join?"

They accepted the invitation.

* * *

First, they had one or two games in singles. Ryoma first played against Marui, then Yukimura. Though it was only for warming-up, Ryoma could feel the hidden power of Rikkaidai's buchou. After that, they played double. Sanada-Ryoma pair against Fuji-Niou. It didn't take a long time to grasp an irrefutable fact.

"Ryoma/Echizen, you suck in doubles!" Yuuta, Yagyuu, Yanagi, Niou and Marui chorused. Ryoma grunted.

"Senpai-tachi, since when were you here?" Ryoma asked Yagyuu and Yanagi.

"Since the last ten minutes," Yanagi said.

"I heard that Yukimura wants to try a public tennis court, so I thought it was a good opportunity to collect new data," Inui, standing next to Yanagi, said as he scribbled in his notebooks. "Indeed, I got some good data about you, Echizen."

"But It's surprising, Echizen-chan. You, our female prodigy, is so bad in doubles! Hehehe!" Niou said, grinning. "Mada mada dane!" he quoted her, tsking with his finger. Ryoma scowled.

"What? You didn't know that she's not good in double?" Ryoga asked.

"Well, considering her antisocial personality, it's not easy to find a compatible character to put in doubles with her," Yagyuu said. "And Sanada's icy demeanor is the worst combination with Echizen."

"Pfffffffffff!" the Fuji brothers, Yukimura, Marui and Niou snickered. Sanada and Ryoma glared at them, eyes twitching.

"Hihihihihi!" Ryoga snickered but a dagger glare from his little sister immediately shut him up. Though, he was still snickering.

* * *

They took a short break. Ryoma wanted another Ponta drink and went to search for a vending-machine alone.

_'This time, aniki won't be there to annoy me!' _She looked to the right, then to the left. _'Ah! There!'_

She hurried to the machine, her coin in her hand. There was also another person in front of the vending-machine. Ryoma slowed her pace as she was near the person. It was a boy. Feeling the presence of another person, the boy turned around. Ryoma recognized the guy into whom she bumped earlier. Seeing the coin in her hand, he stepped aside to let her buy her drink. Ryoma nodded, thanking him. Sliding the coin into the slot of the vending-machine, she chose the grape flavored Ponta and pushed on the button of…

_'Life has many flavors, you should try them all and not limit yourself to only one,' _Ryoga's word echoed in her head.

…the strawberry flavor. Ryoma sighed.

_'Why do I let aniki influence me?'_ she wondered as she took her juice can.

_"Oh my! Look what we found here!"_ a snobby voice said behind her. Ryoma turned on her heels. It was the boys who were with the blond hair guy. The one who talked was tanned skin guy with long red-brown hair.

_"Woo hoo!"_ a very, built, pink-red skin with bright blond hair guy whistled. _"What a chick!"_

_"Hehe! Japanese girls are not bad!"_ a boy wearing a blue gray cap said. _"Especially this one! I never saw anyone with such an unusual eye color. It's like golden!"_

Ryoma froze. She was feeling uneasy and a cold sweat ran down the side of her face. She made a step back, but the vending-machine blocked her way.

_"Guys, don't scare her!"_ the pale blond hair guy said.

_"What, Alexander? Do you know her? Is she your girlfriend?" _a huge bald headed guy asked.

_"Barely in Japan and you already got a new girl?"_ a black skin guy with bleach white hair tied in a short braid down his neck asked.

_"As expected from Alexander, the Icy Prince. He strikes again!"_ a guy with round small black eyes, wearing a large green headband said.

_"Hahahahahahaha!" _his companions laughed.

_"No, I don't know her,"_ the one called Alexander said.

_"In this case, we can play with her, right guys?"_ a boy with bony features said.

_"Hehehehehehe!"_ all the boys laughed, except Alexander. Ryoma didn't like the sound of their laugh. She wanted to run away, but they suddenly surrounded her, cutting off all of the escape ways.

_"Hey miss!" _the bony faced guy said, grabbing her chin between his fingers. _"We just arrived in Japan. We don't know a lot of people, but we want to make friends. Why don't you come with us? We know a very nice place."_

_"Ya! A really good one!"_ the black skin guy said.

_"Yahahahahaha!" _they laughed again.

Ryoma gulped. Inside her, she was shaking from fear now, but it wasn't apparent from the outside.

_"Hey! Stop it! Let her go, Wolfang!" _Alexander said.

_'Aniki!'_ Ryoma mentally called.

"Hey! Stop it! Let her go, you wolves!" someone said. All the guys turned their head to the direction of the interrupter. It was Ryoga. Ryoma took advantage of the confusion to push the bony faced guy away and escaped.

"Aniki!" Ryoma ran straight into Ryoga's arms, silently crying.

"Chibisuke…" Ryoga was worried. She was shaking madly in his arms. He pushed her behind him.

_"Who's that guy?"_ the bandana guy asked.

_"Who cares? He's interfering with our fun!"_ the red-brown hair guy said as he approached Ryoga. He put and hand on Ryoga's shoulder. _"Hey boy! She was with us first! So go away!" _

Ryoga snatched his hand away.

"Ryoma, get away from here!" Ryoga pushed Ryoma away.

"Aniki!"

"Get away! NOW!" Ryoga yelled.

_"Hey! You want to pick a fight with us!"_ the pink skinned guy said menacingly to Ryoga. He punched Ryoga in the stomach.

"Ouphfffffff!"

The others one also charged in, beating Ryoga.

_"Stop it now!"_ the Alexander-guy yelled to them, but they ignored him. They pushed him away and they continued to charge on Ryoga. They repeatedly kicked and punched him. Ryoga cannot fight alone against seven guys. Ryoga was covered with blood and bruises everywhere. A kick of the big pink guy sent Ryoga flying. He knocked his back against a tree.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

"Aniki! No!" Ryoma ran back to Ryoga and pushed away the attackers. She stood in front of them, her arms spread, making a wall between Ryoga and them.

_"Get away! Don't touch him!"_ Ryoma yelled, tears trailing down her face.

_"Huh? So she knows German. She's even more interesting than we thought!"_ the tanned brown hair guy said.

"Ryoma… run… away…" Ryoga trailed, and then he lost consciousness. He lost too much blood.

_"Hahahahaha! The trouble guy is out! Now we can play with her…" _the bony guy creepily said. He slowly walked to her, like a predator. _"Hehehehehe…"_ he sneered.

_"Wolfang, this is enough. We are not here to cause trouble!"_ Alexander-guy blocked him.

_"Get away, Alexander! This is not your business!" _

Wolfang violently pushed Alexander away. He turned back to Ryoma and placed a hand on the neck of her shirt. Ryoma bit into his hand.

_"Owwwwwww!"_ Wolfang yelled and immediately released her. He became furious. _"You bitch!"_ He raised his hand to slap her.

_Thud!_

_"OWWWWWWWW!"_ Wolfang yowled. He got knocked by a tennis ball on his wrist and on the back of his head. _"Who did that?!"_

All the Germans turned their head to see a brunette boy, who was looking at them with cold and menacing cerulean eyes, a racket in his hand.

"Fuji-senpai!" Ryoma exclaimed.

Fuji didn't say anything but keep his eyes on the bad guys. Soon, they felt a frightening cold chill running all over their body and into their bones, freezing their blood. Unconsciously, they start to shake.

"Ryoma!" Yuuta ran to her. Marui and Niou came with him.

"Yuuta! Aniki…" Ryoma didn't finish. She returned back to Ryoga. She knelt down beside his immobilized body. In her distress, with her shaking hands, she clumsily tried to see where his injuries were. But she was so scared that she didn't dare to touch him. She was scared that she will discover something dreadful, that she wouldn't feel his heartbeat, that she… A hand grabbed hers, stopping her from thinking further more.

"Echizen, stop. Let us handle everything," Niou said. Ryoma snapped out to see Yanagi and Yagyuu knelt down next to Ryoga. Marui called for an ambulance with his cell phone. Sanada left to wait for the ambulance at the entrance to the public tennis court, down the street.

"Don't worry," Inui said. "Yanagi and Yagyuu know how to give the first-aids in case of emergency. They have been trained for that. Just move a little bit away to give them space to work."

"Aniki…" Ryoma obeyed, crying.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fuji confronted the German guys.

_"Hah! It's only a girly boy!"_ the black skin one said, trying to hide the scary feeling which was creeping down his spine. There was just something in that brunette's cerulean eyes that frightened him in a way he couldn't describe. Something similar to an overwhelming suffocating power. All his partners felt the same thing as him.

"Despicable!" Fuji spat. "Seven against one, you are lower than the lowest animal!"

_"W-what did he say?"_ the cap guy stuttered. They didn't understand anything Fuji said, but they could feel the venom in his words.

"And you even dare to attack a girl! This is unforgivable!" Fuji continued.

_"W-what can you do against us, weakling!" _the pink guy said.

Fuji didn't reply back, but he took out another ball.

"Fuji!" Yukimura stopped him. Fuji turned to Yukimura, who nodded at him. Fuji nodded back and left to where Ryoma stood with Marui and Niou. Yuuta was helping Yagyuu, holding Ryoga's head while Inui noted down Ryoga's conditions. When the paramedics showed up, this would help them. Ryoma was shaking. Even if she wanted to help, she cannot do anything in her current condition. She was too distressed. Even Marui and Niou didn't know what to say to her.

_'Aniki…' _

Gently, Fuji approached her and put a hand her shoulder. Ryoma snapped out of her distress to see Fuji standing next to her. He was looking at her with comforting yes, comforting her. Ryoma slightly calmed down. Fuji took out his handkerchief and gave it to her.

"Here," he softly said. She accepted it and clumsily tried to wipe her tears. Seeing that, Fuji took the handkerchief back and wiped her tears for her with gentle gestures. "Calm down, Ryoma-chan. Trust Yagyuu and Yanagi. They know what they are doing."

"H-Hai…" Ryoma closed her eyes, trying to do as he told her, letting him wipe her tears.

* * *

Yukimura stood alone in front of the Germans, his arms crossed over his chest in a relax demeanor. He calmly fixed them with a stare, his head slightly tilted.

_"What?! Another skinny pretty-girl guy! These Japanese boys are really nothing!"_ the bald one said.

_"Hahahahahaha!"_ his companions laughed with him.

Yukimura changed his posture. His head straightened up and he squarely fixed the guys in front of him with a glare. They immediately froze. For a reason they didn't understand, they felt like an immense power crushing down from the sky on them. They thought they were seeing an illusion. The wavy hair boy in front of them seemed to be enveloped in a cold blue glow, his eyes colder than everything. If the brunette boy's aura emitted a suffocating oppression, this one's aura would be described as the power of an angry but wise god. The guys felt a cold sweat. Every part of their body shook like crazy. Their hearts beat furiously, threatening to burst out from their chest at any moment and they had difficulty breathing. Their legs gave out and they stumbled on the ground.

_"L-L-L-LET'S GET AWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" _They scampered. Alexander wanted to apologize to Ryoma but a piercing cerulean glared crucified him on the spot. He gave up and left too.

Sanada arrived with the paramedics. They immediately took care of Ryoga and carried him to the ambulance. One person was permitted to go with paramedics. Ryoma wanted to go, but Fuji stopped her.

"No, Ryoma. Let Yagyuu go with him," Fuji said.

"But…" Ryoma said.

"Yagyuu's family owns a hospital," Niou explained.

"Under him, the best care will be brought to your brother," Marui said.

"Let's follow the ambulance by car," Sanada said.


	33. Ryoga is hospitalized

A/N: Sorry I couldn't post earlier. There wasn't connexion.

* * *

Rinko and Nanjirou hurried to the hospital.

"My son has been carried here by emergency. Where can I find him?" Rinko rushed the receptionist.

"What is your son's name?" the receptionnist asked.

"Echizen Ryoga," Nanjirou answered, more calmly than his overly worried wife.

"Echi-…!" The receptionist stopped tracking her list and looked up. "Echizen? You are Echizen-fusai?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Nanjirou asked.

"Wait here a moment please." The receptionist left to talk to a nurse. The nurse immediately came to Nanjirou and Rinko.

"Echizen-fusai, please follow me," the nurse said. Dumbfounded, but Nanjirou and Rinko followed her.

The nurse leaded them into a private waiting room and invited them in. Once Rinko stepped in the room, Ryoma immediately ran into her arms.

"Kaa-san!"

"Ryoma, what happened?"

"Kaa-san! Aniki… Aniki, he… he… me… he…!" Ryoma broke in tears in her mother's arms, incapable to say anything. Ryoma was so distressed that it was painful to see her like this. The boys felt sad for her. Up to now, no one at school saw her behaving like this before.

"Oh darling, shhhh…" Rinko tried to calm her, but she failed. Rinko pulled Ryoma to a sofa and made her sat next to her. Nanjirou went to talk with boys. It was Yuuta who explained everything to him.

"Sou ka…" Nanjirou slowly said when Yuuta finished. "How is he now?"

"He is still in the surgery room. We are still waiting for news," Yagyuu said.

* * *

Three hours had passed. Ryoma was calmer after that she cried all the tears to dryness. She was so exhausted that she felt asleep, her head on her mother's lap. Rinko kept stroking Ryoma's hair. Nanjirou, sat next to Rinko, looked very calm and composed, but Rinko knew him better than that. As for Rinko, she kept praying for Ryoga to be alright. The Fuji brothers, Yukimura, Sanada, Yagyuu, Marui, Niou, Yanagi and Inui respected the family's wish for silence.

_Knock knock knock!_

Someone knocked on the door. Everyone, except Ryoma who was still sleeping, turned their head to the door. A doctor in a blue outfit stepped in the room.

"Echizen-fusai?" he asked.

"Yes. It's us," Nanjirou answered. Rinko gently laid Ryoma down on the sofa, then joined her husband.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Aomori Hyou, Echizen Ryoga's doctor," the doctor presented himself, bowing.

"Nice to meet you too, doctor." Rinko and Nanjirou bowed to him.

"How is he, doctor?" Nanjirou asked.

"He hasn't wake up yet. He is still under the influence of the anesthesia. He had an internal bleeding, a fracture in the skull, three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and his left arm broken. But he is young, he should be able to recover normally," the doctor said.

Rinko and Nanjirou sighed of relieve.

"Thank you very much, doctor," Rinko said, crying. Nanjirou put his arm on her shoulders, comforting her.

"Thank you, doctor," Nanjirou said.

A blurt of black and green passed Nanjirou and stropped in front of the doctor.

"How is aniki!" Ryoma shouted to the doctor. When she woke up, the first person she saw was him. She immediately sprinted to him.

"Ryoma!" Rinko exclaimed.

"He is sleeping now. You can see him if you want, but only one person at the time," the doctor calmly answered, not disturbed at all by her outburst. He often met this kind of situation.

"Oyajii, kaa-san…" Ryoma pleaded. Rinko smiled and Nanjirou nodded to her, understanding her request.

"You can go first, honey," Rinko said.

"Arigatou!" Ryoma happily said.

"Then please follow me, miss."

Ryoma stepped out of the room after the doctor. When they the two of them left, Rinko and Nanjirou turned to face the boys. Rinko bowed to them.

"Thank you very, for helping my son and Ryoma," Rinko said. Her eyes were still blurry with tears. "I'm very grateful to you."

"Thank you very much," Nanjirou also bowed.

"Please, you don't need to be like this, Echizen-fusai," Yukimura told them. "It's only normal."

"You shouldn't be worry anymore about Ryoga-san," Yagyuu said. "Aomori-sensei (1) is our best surgeon. In his hands, Ryoga-san will perfectly recover."

"Thank you… Thank you so much!" Rinko let her tears of relieve escaping from the prison of her eyes.

* * *

Tezuka knocked on the door of Sakaki-coach's office.

"Come in," Sakaki-coach answered.

The three captains and two vice-captains entered his office. Sakaki-coach was sat in his chair while Ryuuzaki-sensei was standing by the window, looking outside. Both of them had a grave expression on their face.

"Sakaki-coach, Ryuuzak-sensei," Yukimura greeted. Tezuka and Atobe bowed. Sakaki-coach and Ryuuzaki-sensei nodded.

"Take a sit," Ryuuzaki-sensei said. They did as he told them, Ryuuzaki-sensei took a seat too.

"Why have you call us, Sakaki-coach?" Atobe asked.

"I'll make it straight and short," Sakaki-coach said. "I want you to go on a special training camp for a week. You will be leaving this Friday."

". . ." Silence.

_'Indeed, it's straight and short,' _Ryuuzaki-sensei thought.

"As you know, after the National Championship, the best players will be selected to go on a training camp," Ryuuzaki-sensei started. "During this camp, eight are chosen to represent Japan against the America West Coat team. However, this year, something came up which put the Japan Junior Tennis Association upside down. The Germany team wants to challenge Japan before the National, so they can go a step before the America team. Because the Association needs to keep a good term relationships with the Germany representatives, they cannot refuse. However, they don't have enough time to gather his best players and select a team in such a hurry. Basing on your two consecutive National victories during the two last years, the Association requested us to send you to represent Japan against the Germany."

Ryuuzaki-sensei stopped momentary.

"We have a video of the players of Germany team," Sakaki-coach said. "They faced Higachuu of Kyuushuu two weeks ago. Watch."

He pressed on the PLAY button and the video displayed on the screen. It was a a double match. The five regulars recognized the two players in the Higa purple uniform, Hirakota and Kai. Their opponent wore a black shirt with yellow and white lines across the chest. Probably the Germany team. Both the German players are very tall. One has tanned skin, bleached hair with a tiny braid on his neck and he wore sun glasses. The other was slightly shorter, with light brown-red hair.

"Ah! It's them!" Sanada exclaimed.

"Hum? You know them?" Ryuuzaki-sensei asked.

"Last week, Echizen-chan almost got violated by them. Her brother, Ryoga-san, protected her, but they beat him. He is now in the hospital because of them," Yukimura said.

A heavy silence was in the air. Sakaki-coach felt that something was hidden. He looked piercingly at the regulars, especially Ooishi's worried face. It looked like all the regulars knew about that incident. He decided to have the answer of his doubts.

"How does Echizen take it?" Sakaki-coach asked.

". . ."

The five regulars' eyes sadden, but didn't answer Sakaki-coach's question. From what Inui told them, it was very hard to calm Ryoma down after what happened to Ryoga. If her brother wasn't her first priority, Ryoma would have run after them and killed them by her own hands. It was Fuji who hold her back, by keeping his arms around her. Sakaki-coach stood up from his chair and turned to the window, his back facing them.

"Seiyou tennis club regulars are not allowed to be weak," he said. "You know the rules. If you are weak, then you are not allowed to be a regular." He turned again to face the boys. "Echizen is being weak now."

"But Sakaki-coach, she…" Ooishi tried to intercept.

"I know she is a very good player, but a weakness remains a weakness," Sakaki-coach said. "She lacks of self-control in front of drastic situation." He pointed to the plasma screen. "If she face them again, she will lost herself to her anger and they will use that weakness. In that situation, she will lost without a doubt, no matter how strong she is. She is not fit to be a regular."

A very heavy silence took place in the room. Even Ryuuzaki-sensei cannot protest against Sakaki-coach.

"Sakaki-coach, may I speak?" Tezuka spoke. Sakaki-coach raised an eyebrow. It was rare that Tezuka intercepted in a decision from him. Nonetheless, Sakaki-coach nodded.

"Knowing her, I'm perfectly aware of how Echizen will react if she meet the these Germans again. Usually, Echizen is very composed on the court and knows to take her time to study her opponents before confronting them. Ever since she stepped in Seigaku, the team have undoubtedly become stronger. Momoshiro had learn to play with his head and not only with his strength. Kaido came up with a Boomerang Tornado because she defeated his Boomerang Snake. Kikumaru's acrobatic play style got much better and smoother because she used his acrobatic play against himself. These are only a few example of her doing in the team. Everybody grew to be more mature around her because she showed out their weaknesses. I also noticed that Rikkaidai and Hyoutei had gotten closer with Seigaku even since she is with us. Dropping her out would be a regrettable lost. Not only for Seigaku, but as well as for the whole Seiyou tennis club. In this particular situation, her brother got involved and she lost control on herself. However, I believe that she can recover from her lack of self-control and becomes stronger after."

"Your point?" Sakaki-coach asked.

"I request to give her a chance, a chance to prove herself again," Tezuka said.

Sakaki-coach reflected a moment.

"Fine, I will give her a last chance to recover before making a final decision," Sakaki-coach said. The regulars sighed of relieve. "However, Tezuka, if she doesn't recover from her weakness, not only she will never be a regular again, but also you."

Heavy silence in the room.

"Even when I state a decision, you dared to interfere. It means to me, that somewhere you had developed a weakness too. I understand that you did this for your team, but, as I said, a weakness remains a weakness. Knowing that, do you still insist on waging on her recovery with your regular position?"

Tezuka fell momentary in silence. Then, he looked up to Sakaki-coach, a determined expression in his eyes.

"Hai," Tezuka hearthly answered.

". . ." Sakaki-coach looked at him. "Very well. I will give her three days, three days only, to return back to normal. If after three days, I don't see any evolution from her, not only she will be dropped, but you will also lost your position as a captain and as a regular," Sakaki-coach concluded.

"Hai."

"You have two weeks to prepared yourselves before we face the Germany team. Do your best," Ryuuzaki-sensei said.

"Hai!"

* * *

In the hospital. Ryoga's room.

Ryoga laid in his bed, bandage covering his head, his chest and his left arm got put in a cast. He wore a white shirt and pants provided by the hospital. He was connected to a heart monitor, which was beating at a regular pace. He also had liquid infusing his veins. The room was full with gifts and flowers from friends and family. Right now, Ryoma was the only visitor left in the room. She fell asleep on Ryoga's bed.

"Aniki…" she muttered in her sleep, pressing his hand.

Ryoga's finger moved a little bit. Then slowly, he opened his eyes to see himself in a white room, wearing hospital clothes and had weird machines attached to him.

_'Oh yeah… I got into a fight…'_ he remembered. Then he remembered the numb of his hand, the one that caused him to wake up. It was Ryoma, who was holding (squeezing) his hand in hers.

"Aniki…" Ryoma muttered again, still slumbering in an uncomfortable position.

_'Ryoma…' _Ryoga gently smiled.

"Chibisuke, I know you're worried about me, but can you let go of my hand please? I feel numb," Ryoga said. Ryoma startled when she heard him talking, thinking she was dreaming. She woke up.

"Aniki, you're awake!" she yelled. Ryoga cringed.

_'Still as delicate as ever!'_

"I'll call the doctor!" And she sprinted out.

_'Isn't she aware that this is a hospital?'_

* * *

"Ryoga!" Rinko came in his room, yelling like Ryoma did. The doctor was with her.

_'Is she also not aware that this is a hospital?' _Ryoga wondered.

"Echizen Ryoga. I'm Aomori Hyou, your doctor. Nice to meet you face to face," Aomori-sensei said as he took out his stethoscope and examined Ryoga. "How do you feel?"

"Groggy. Heavy. And slow."

"It's normal. Do you feel painful anywhere?"

Ryoga answered him and as well as the few other questions while the doctor trailed his stethoscope over him. After a couple minute, the doctor removed his stethoscope.

"Everything sounds fine."

Ryoga would have to stay in the hospital for about a month. Yagyuu had him moved to one of his best private room, one which had a view on the park of the hospital. He also told Rinko and Nanjirou not to worry about the fee of the hospital. He would cover everything.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Yagyuu-kun," Rinko told him non stop, crying grateful tears.

"Thank you very much," Nanjirou told.

"It's a pleasure, Echizen-fusai," Yagyuu told them.

While Yagyuu talked with her parents, Ryoma observed him with surprised eyes. She had always thought that Yagyuu was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything unless it brings him profit or merit. However, helping her brother would definitely never bring him any profit. Then why did he help? But whatever the reason was, only one thing mattered for her right now.

"Hontou ni arigatou (2), Yagyuu-senpai," Ryoma told him, sincerely grateful. Yagyuu nodded in acknowledge.

Indeed, Ryoma was right to think that Yagyuu Hiroshi would never do anything without a purpose behind.

* * *

(1) -sensei: "-sensei" is a suffix used when referring to a professor, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a writer and even to a managaka. And also to many others professionals, but I won't list them all.

(2) hontou ni arigatou: thank you very much.


	34. Ryoga's real name unveiled

Previously…

Ryoga would have to stay in the hospital for about a month. Yagyuu had him moved to one of his best private room, one which had a view on the park of the hospital. He also told Rinko and Nanjirou not to worry about the fee of the hospital. He would cover everything.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Yagyuu-kun," Rinko told him non stop, crying grateful tears.

"Thank you very much," Nanjirou told.

"It's a pleasure, Echizen-fusai," Yagyuu told them.

While Yagyuu talked with her parents, Ryoma observed him with surprised eyes. She had always thought that Yagyuu was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything unless it brings him profit or merit. However, helping her brother would definitely never bring him any profit. Then why did he help? But whatever the reason was, only one thing mattered for her right now.

"Hontou ni arigatou, Yagyuu-senpai," Ryoma told him, sincerely grateful. Yagyuu nodded in acknowledge.

Indeed, Ryoma was right to think that Yagyuu Hiroshi would never do anything without a purpose behind.

* * *

In the hospital. Ryoga's room.

After having chatted over an hour with him, Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoma left to let Ryoga rest. But someone knocked on his door again.

"Come in," Ryoga said.

It was Yagyuu. He stepped in the room and closed the door. Then, he crossed his arms and leaned on the door, looking straight to Ryoga. Ryoga blinked, dumbfounded.

"Yes? What is it?"

"So, care to explain, Ryuu," Yagyuu said.

"Huh? I don't understand what you mean. Explain what? And who's Ryuu?"

"Drop the act. It was because of me that you to have that reverse C scar behind your right shoulder. How can I not remember you, my stupid ten-years-lost cousin, _Yuuji Ryuu_?"

Ryoga momentary fidged and stared at Yagyuu. For a long moment, the two of them stared at each other in the eyes without blinking. After what, Ryoga sighed, giving up. He knew there was no point pretending anything to Yagyuu Hiroshi anymore. The purple hair boy knew the truth about everything.

"Ah haa…" Ryoga leaned on his pillow, looking up to the ceiling. "And here I was hoping that you would never recognize me again, Hiroshi."

"Who do you think I am? You know me better than that!" Yagyuu said. He went to sit on the chair next to Ryoga's bed. "After cousin Kuchiki's and his wife's murder ten years ago, only your body wasn't found. We assumed that you were still alive. We have been searching for you everywhere in America. But I can't believe that I would find you here, in Japan, and under the roof of on of my kouhais. When I first saw you at Echizen's house, I was surprised; though I wasn't really sure it was you. Then, when I gave you the first-aids after that incident, I saw your scar. That was when I was absolutely certain it was really you. I even had a DNA test done from your blood to confirm my doubts. And guess what? It did, _Ryuu_."

"I'm no longer Ryuu, Hiroshi. I'm Ryoga now, Echizen Ryoga."

"Why didn't you try to contact us again?"

"After oyajii took me in, I became his son, an Echizen. I wasn't a Yuuji anymore. If I had contacted you, the murderer behind my parents' car accident would know that I was still alive. He would probably try to kill me again. And that would put my new family in danger too. I couldn't allow that. Besides, I was happy with my new life. I even have a little sister to make fun of everyday. Why would I want to return to my old life again?"

"It was true that we couldn't find enough proof to charge that sly dog Isogai. He did a very good job erasing all the traces of his dirty work behind him. But he died in the most unexpected way. He was going to rape a maid and got killed. The maid was cleaning his hallway when he attacked her. While fighting against him in self-defense, she pushed him over the stair. He fell from the first floor and broke his neck. To tell the truth, no one really regretted his loss. On the contrary, many were very happy that he disappeared from this world."

"Well, he deserved his death."

"You are now the sole heir of cousin Kuchiki's fortune. With Isogai's death, no one would harm you again. When will you come back?"

"I don't want to. And why do you want me to come back anyway? Without me in the way, you are chichi's (1) next heir right?"

"It's because I don't want to be his heir that I have been searching for you everywhere during these last ten years! Do you know how much trouble I've had because of that succession story!"

"But you have always been a very capable boy. You can handle it, right? You did up to today! Why don't you continue to do it for the rest of your life?" Ryoga said, grinning sheepishly. Yagyuu looked sternly at Ryoga, ticking his right eyebrow, not answering.

"Haa…" Yagyuu sighed. He would let it pass for now. For now only. Because he needed to discuss of something else. "Actually, I have something I want to talk with you. It's about Echizen-chan."

"Chibisuke?"

Yagyuu nodded. And he started.

* * *

Later, when Yagyuu finished.

"I see…" Ryoga trailed. He looked outside the window. "You are right. She will refuse."

Ryoga and Yagyuu momentarily kept silence. Then, Ryoga spoke again.

"Let me handle it."

"Then I'm counting on you," Yagyuu said. Ryoga nodded. Seeing the time of his watch, Yagyuu stood up. "It's late. I have to go now. Take care of you."

"Hmn!" Ryoga nodded. "Take care. And watch over your little cousin for me too!"

"My little cousin? You mean Echizen-chan?"

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Ryoga tsked. "You call her Ryoma now, Hiroshi. _Ry-o-ma_. Since you're my cousin and she's my little sister, that makes her your cousin too, right?"

"Haa…" Yagyuu sighed. "I get it. I'll watch over _Ry-o-ma_ for you."

Ryoga grinned.

"Thanks!"

"See you again." And with these last words, Yagyuu left.

* * *

When Tezuka told the regulars about the training camp, Ryoma didn't want to go. She wanted to stay close to her brother so she can visit him everyday. But when Ryoga learn about her decision, he wasn't happy about it.

_'Just as Hiroshi thought, she refused,' _Ryoga thought. He knew his sister was worried for him, but he disapproved her refusal to go to the camp just because of him.

"Chibisuke, you will go to the camp," Ryoga ordered her.

"But-…!"

"Chibisuke, if you don't go, I won't forgive you," he interrupted her.

"I-…!"

"Ryoma." He called her by her first name this time, which meant he was being very serious. "You might not see it, but this tournament against Germany is very important for Japan, more important than the National. It's an international business here. I appreciate that you're concerned about me, but the future of Japan Tennis Junior is more important than me. Ryoma, if you really care about me, then go to the camp and train seriously."

"Aniki…" Ryoma couldn't find anything to say.

"Do it for me, Ryoma," Ryoga said.

"H-Hai…" Ryoma obeyedly trailed. She lowed her head.

Seing her sad face, Ryoga put a hand on her head, patting her.

"Don't be mad at me, Chibisuke," Ryoga said, using her nickname again. "I'm only doing this for you."

Ryoma didn't respond back. She knew he was sincere, but she was still sad that he wouldn't let her stay near him.

After that Ryoma left, Ryoga remembered the conversation he had with Yagyuu.

* * *

Flashback

"Actually, I have something I want to talk to you. It's about Echizen-chan."

"Chibisuke?"

Yagyuu nodded. And he started.

Yagyuu told Ryoga about what happen between Sakaki-coach and Tezuka concerning Ryoma.

"He _WHAT_?" Ryoga exclaimed, almost jumping off from his bed. "Waging on his regular position and his captain title? Is he completely crazy that granpa-buchou?"

"Grandpa-buchou?"

"That's how Chibisuke called him, the teen grandpa-buchou."

Yagyuu tilted his head, thinking.

"Well, she's not completely wrong, just considering the amount of white hair he grew ever since she stepped in Seiyou… It's a good description of Tezuka," Yagyuu mumbled. "Anyway, back to business. The Germans we will face are the same ones who beat you. Sakaki-coach thinks that if Echizen-chan met them again in a match, she will lose because of what happened to you. He wanted to drop her because of her lack of self-control when confronting drastic situations, but Tezuka interfered. Tezuka asked him to give Echizen-chan a chance to recover from her actual psychological state, which is a weakness in Sakaki-coach's opinion. Me too, I think it's a weakness. Sakaki-coach decided to give her three days to prove herself before making a final decision. If Echizen-chan succeeds to overcome this trial, she can remain a regular. However, if she fails, not only she will be dropped, but also Tezuka. I know it sounds selfish, but I cannot allow Seiyou tennis club to lose Tezuka right now. The glory of our promotion depends on this third National Championship that we WILL win. We must have Tezuka with us for the National. And that brings us back to Echizen-chan. She must go to the training camp and overcome her lack of self-control," Yagyuu concluded.

Ryoga looked at him eyes widen. Then, he grinned a suspiscious smile.

"Say Hiroshi, do you only think about the glory of your senior friends or don't you also feel something for her too?" Ryoga teased.

"Ryu-…!"

Ryoga turned his head away and plugged an ear with his available hand.

"…-oga…" Yagyuu added.

Ryoga turned his head back to him, smiling again, and he unplugged his ear. Yagyuu sighed.

"It's been ten years and you are still easy going like before," Yagyuu said. "I'm being serious here."

"It's been ten years and you are still stuck up like before," Ryoga replied. "It was only a joke. I just wanted to relax you a little bit."

But Ryoga's face expression immediately changed. He became serious. He understood why Yagyuu was worried. He knew Ryoma the best. Even if it saddens him to admit it, he knew that Ryoma will fail Tezuka's hope in her current state. Like that Sakaki-coach had supposed, if she meets the Germans now in a game, she would definitely lose.

"All the regulars know that the Germans we are going to face are the ones who hurt you, except her," Yagyuu said. "Yukimura thinks that it's still too soon to let her know. If she did, she will likely sink deeper in her anger and it will be more difficult to pull her out. We agreed to keep it a secret between us until she is ready to hear about it."

"That Yukimura guy took the right decision," Ryoga said.

Ryoga knew that weakness of Ryoma. When Ryoma was worried about something, her logical mind would freeze and would be unable to think coherently. She can let her worry carry her and completely lose all her common sense and do everything recklessly. It happened before, many years ago, when she lost Karupin.

That day, it was raining hard and it was already dark outside. But Karupin, still a small kitten back then, was nowhere to be found. Ryoma had search for him everywhere in the house, checked all the tiniest spots and corners she knew. After hours without finding him, she ran outside to search for him, in the cold rain of the night. She didn't wear her rain coat or her rain boots. When the family realized that she was also missing, Ryoga didn't took a lot of time to understand what happened. He immediately grabbed his rain coat and ran outside after her. He found her in the park in front of the house. She was completely soaking wet and dirty, mud staining her orange and yellow dress. She was running from a bush to another, and from a tree to another. She checked every places and corners of the park where she thought Karupin might be hidden. Ryoga told her to come back inside, but she refused to go until she would find the kitten. Ryoga was at loss. He couldn't find anything to say to make her go with him when he heard a mewling under the big turtle toy of the playground. Karupin was simply sheltering himself from the rain. Ryoma immediately ran to him. She took him in her arms, crying, and cuddled him against her. She was relieved to find him, and so was Ryoga because he could finally bring get her to go back inside. After the night, Ryoma was bedridden for three days because she caught a cold.

However, this time, it was more serious than losing Karupin. The future of the Japan Tennis Junior Association depended on this training camp. But Ryoma wasn't in her right mind. However, she wasn't alone. All her team mates were worried about her, but she probably didn't realized anything because she was blinded by her worry.

"You see, I'm thinking that she will refuse to go to the training camp because she will want to stay close to you," Yagyuu said.

"I see…" Ryoga trailed. He looked outside the window. "You are right. She will refuse."

Ryoga and Yagyuu momentarily kept silence. Then, Ryoga spoke again.

"Let me handle it," Ryoga said.

"Then I'm counting on you," Yagyuu said. Ryoga nodded.

End flashback

* * *

Ryoga looked out to the park through the window, thinking again.

As he told Yagyuu, Ryoga would handle Ryoma and had her to go to the camp. Like Yagyuu said, it was true that if she was left alone, Ryoma would sink deep and deeper in her anger and she will lost control of herself. That psychological weakness can emotionally harm her. But by forcing her to go to the camp and have her being surrounded by the regulars 24 hours a day, Ryoma would have maintain herself in a certain way to behave because of her pride. Ryoma hates it the most when people outside of her family see her down. So she would put an act, pretending that she was strong from outside, despite how much it hurts inside. So using her pride against her and having her to go to the camp was a way to force her not to think about her sadness. Thus, her anger wouldn't have a chance to root deeper in her heart and wouldn't grow.

Ryoga hoped the regulars can help her to overcome this trial for her.

_'Hiroshi, and you all of you, I'm counting on you for her.'_

* * *

(1) chichi: father. You said that when you are talking about your own father.


	35. Training camp and Fujisenpai

The training camp site was at one of Atobe's summer houses. It was perched on a high landscape, in the mountains. The nearest village was an hour by car from Atobe's mansion. There was only one uphill road to get up there. The regulars were put two people per room. Since Ryoma was the only girl, she had a room for herself. Atobe also brought with him Enzou and a maid named May. They would take care of the meals and the chores. Yuuta also came to help, mainly helping the coaches, assisting them in the training.

As soon as they arrived, they immediately started. First, they worked to strengthen their bodies from the basics. Ryuuzaki-sensei had them running down to the village to get food and then climbing up the mountain to return back to the mansion. They can only bring one item with them each time. When they brought up one, they would have to go back to get another item until the last item was brought up. While doing so, they wore power wrists and power ankles. And if they dropped something on the way or stopped but for one second, they had to go back to the shop of the village and start over again. Kirihara's clumsiness had caused him to return back to the village five times. He also bumped into Ryoma, forcing her to do it with him. Normally, Ryoma would snap at him and would give him a piece of mind - and inflicted him with a couple of painful hits and smacks too -, but she didn't say nor did she hit him. And when the boys thought about it again, Ryoma didn't open her mouth once from the moment they stepped in the bus bringing them here.

They finished bringing all the food to the mansion when it was dark. While waiting for the supper to be prepared, they took a bath. The mansion had an onsen (1) out-door bath, a section for man, an another for woman. Ryoma had the woman section all for herself.

Their bath finished, they ate their supper. After such a tiring day, they supper tasted delicious and they thoroughly enjoyed their meal. While eating, they chatted and laughed. But again, Ryoma was the only one who didn't say anything. She was so caught in her thinking that she didn't even see the worried glances the others threw at her. Their attempt to make her feel better failed. As soon as the supper finished, Ryoma went straight to her bedroom. No one said anything as they watched her left the room.

* * *

The next day was officially the first day of the training camp… and Ryoma's first day of trial. When Ryoma she went down to take her breakfast, Kirihara, Marui and Niou were waiting for her at the door of the dining room.

"Echizen, are you alright?" Kirihara asked, still worried because she wasn't herself yesterday. Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask? I'm normal," she answered, as if nothing was wrong. She passed him and went to sit at the table. She picked a toast and started eating her breakfast. The boys looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Maybe she didn't speak to anyone yesterday because she was tired," Marui said. Kirihara and Niou nodded.

"But it's look like she is back to normal again," Niou added. Kirihara and Marui nodded. Reassured, they joined her for breakfast.

After breakfast, they left outside to train and didn't return until very late at night. Ryoma trained hard like everybody. She only focused to train. But Tezuka, Yukimura and Yagyuu could feel that the girl was putting to much pressure on herself. She was far too serious to be normal. Once they were back, they took a bath and ate their supper and went to their room to sleep. The first day in the mountain was too tough for city boys and girl so they decided to go straight to sleep.

* * *

The second day was as hard as the first day. Very early, before the sun rose, they went jogging. After one hour, they returned back for breakfast. Then, they left again the mansion, power wrists, power ankles and power weightd wrapped around their torso, and a heavy package full of sand on their shoulders. They jogged up to the top of the mountain, where there was an open field. The wind was very strong on the field. They practiced their shots in the wind. It was very difficult to shoot a normal ball with the wind against you. At noon, they took a break to lunch. After that, Ryuuzaki-sensei brought them to a stream. They practiced swinging their rackets in the water, in the middle of the stream, with the racket covered in a case. And when the sun was setting, they returned back to the mansion.

But that night, the boys wanted to do something different. They decided to sleep all together. On their request, Enzou and May had futons (2) laid in a big room for everyone.

"This is so fun! Sleeping in a futon!" Kirihara said as he snuggled in his futon.

"There nothing to be impressed about that," Ryoma said.

"Of course there is! It's our first time doing this!" Ootori said.

"Then where do you slee-…!" Ryoma stopped.

_'Oh yeah. That's right. I forgot. They are rich. Of course they always sleep in comfy beds everywhere they go,' _Ryoma thought.

"Forget what I said…" she sighed.

"Hey, don't you have a stiff back the next morning, sleeping on the floor like this?" Marui asked.

"Wait until tomorrow morning and you will know," Ryoma answered. "But why do you want to sleep on futons, all together in the same room? What's the point?"

"Just for fun of doing strange things together!" Niou answered, grinning sheepishly.

Ryoma looked suspiciously at them, an eyebrow raised.

"You're weird…"

The four boys' grin got bigger. There was no way they would tell her that it was because they didn't want to leave her alone. If during the day, she behaved normally like everyday - like Ryoga said, because of her pride -, during the night, it was different.

* * *

Last night, when everybody were sleeping, Ryoma went down alone in the living room. She sat at the small table where the telephone was. She wanted to call her brother. She wanted to hear his voice, to hear him say that he was fine. But she didn't want to disturb him and wake him up in the middle of the night. But then again, it wouldn't be the first time that she disturbed him in his sleep. She often did it when she was young. And Ryoga never got mad at her. But now, it was different. He was injured. He was in a hospital. He needed to rest. But she was still worried about him. She wanted very much to…

"Haaa…" she sighed heavily. She closed her eyes and lowed her head.

At the end, she couldn't make up a decision. She crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on them. She pondered over and over about calling him or not. She kept staring at the telephone, not moving.

Unknown to her, Kirihara saw her. Because he was thirsty, he went down to the kitchen to find something to drink when he saw light in the living room. That was how he saw her, sitting at the table, sad, staring infinitely at the telephone. When morning came, he told the others what he saw last night. And that was how they came up with the idea of sleeping together, in hope to cheer her up.

* * *

"Hey! Let's tell ghost stories!" Ootori proposed. "We are in an old run down mansion (Atobe cocked his right eyebrow), alone in the moutain, in the middle of the night and only teenagers together. It's a very good mood to tell ghost stories!"

"Ghost stories!" Jirou excitedly shouted, fully awaken.

"Oh yeah! That's a good idea!" Momoshiro cheered. "Na, Mamushi?"

Kaido didn't answer, but his face was blank.

"Okay, who start?" Momoshiro asked.

"Me! Me!" Kikumaru called.

And Kikumaru started his story about a cursed acrobat who died will giving a show. Whoever use his trapeze would also die in a tragical and horrible accident like him. It was to take revenge on the people who sabotaged his trapeze because they were jealous of his talent. After Kikumaru, it was Momoshiro. He told a story about a giant meat bun that didn't want to be eaten, so it ate people instead. Marui joined after Momoshiro to tell a food story too, about a local patisserie. The patisserie was known for its famous red cakes. But everyday, a customer of the patisserie disappeared. Niou didn't tell a ghost story, but a disgusting one about a rotten cream cheese, which made people turned green. When Niou finished his story, they swore never to eat anything with cream cheese again. But it was Inui's beetle juice story which got the most success: everyone wanted to puke everything inside their stomach out. To steer away from food stories, Yanagi told a story about a computer which caused people to suicide. By providing false information, business men thought that then went into bankruptcy and they committed suicide. The computer wanted to get revenge because its previous owner threw him away after the he bought a new computer. After Yanagi, Ootori wanted to change the flow. He told a joke, to make people laugh. But it was a weird joke that no one understood, so no one laughed. Instead, they laughed at his poor depressed face. Then, Fuji spoke.

"I have a story to tell too," he said.

"Fuji/aniki, you shut up!" Yuuta, Marui, Niou and Yanagi said.

Ryoma frowned. She never heard Yanagi protesting against anything. But he was against the idea of Fuji told a story.

"Why Fuji-senpai shouldn't tell his story?" she asked. The boys turned to her and gave her a glare.

"You really want to hear a story from him?" Yuuta asked.

"Well…" Ryoma started.

Someone tipped on her shoulder. Ryoma turned to see Yagyuu, who was jerking his thumb to the farthest wall of the room. Ryoma followed his thumb to see Kirihara, Ootori, Shishido, Gakuto, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaido completely flattened against the wall. It looked like if the wall wasn't there, trapping them, they would be somewhere outside in the night by now, running away to save their sanity. Their faces were blue and they were heavily sweating cold. All of them looked at Fuji with big, round and horrified eyes. Ryoma sweat dropped. She turned around to look at the rest of the regulars. Tezuka and Sanada were completely frozen. Half of Tezuka's face was blue and Sanada was slightly sweating. Even Atobe cannot help but ticking his right eye. His face was blue too. It seemed like they too didn't want to hear any story from Fuji.

"Err… I guess I don't…" Ryoma finished her answer to Yuuta's question.

"That's a wise decision, Echizen-chan," Oshitari said. "Especially since this is your first training camp with us. I guarantee you, you will want to be able to sleep every night following this night. And you will also want to be able to sleep every night of the next two months after the camp too."

_'_"Ha…" Ryoma said.

'_Fuji himself if a live ghost story, a walking nightmare!'_ the frightened boys thought.

_'Is this why the school call the tennis club's training camp the training camp from hell?'_ Ryoma wondered.

Yukimura and Fuji chuckled.

* * *

The Germans beat Ryoga until he laid in a sea of blood, his body lifeless.

"Anikiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Ryoma screamed. The Germans spun on their heels and their face changed into a cold and vicious expression.

"Nhehehehehe!" they laughed evilly, in a way which froze Ryoma's blood. She wanted to run away, but her legs refused to obey. Step by step, they came closer to her. They extended their hands toward her, grabbed her clothes and_…_

* * *

"AHHH!" Ryoma woke up with a start.

Her heart was bumping at a rate of a 100 pulses per minute. And she was heavily sweating. She tried to calm down, breathing slowly.

_'I-it was only a nightmare…' _She wiped her forehead with her left hand, grabbing her heart with the other to slow down its rhythm. _'Aniki…'_

She looked around her. Everyone was sleeping soundly. Some were snoring. She was the only one awake. She pushed off the blanket of her futon and got up. Careful not to make a sound, she tiptoed outside. She went to the backyard of the mansion. Under the porch, there was a hanging wicker swing chair. She flopped herself on it. She leaned on the back and closed her eyes, letting the fresh breeze of the night cool her down.

_'Aniki…'_

She didn't know how long she staid like that, but the wind made her feel better.

"Ryoma-chan," a voice softly called her. Ryoma snapped her eyes open. Fuji was standing next to her.

"Fuji-senpai!"

"What are you doing out here, all alone?" Fuji asked.

"I… I cannot sleep…"

Silence.

"And you? What are you doing here?"

"I saw you going outside."

". . ." Silence again. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

Fuji sat next to her on the swing chair. The two of them stayed in silence for a long time.

"I had a nightmare," Ryoma spoke again. "Aniki…" She stopped, but Fuji could guess what she was thinking.

"Ryoma-chan, your brother is now safely sleeping in his bed, in the hospital. And there are nurses and doctors around him to take very good care of him. If anything happen, they will be immediately be there for him," Fuji said. "You shouldn't worry too much. It's not good for you."

"I know, but…" She stopped again.

"Ryoma-chan, whenever Yuuta is in this state that you are right now, I become worried about him. I would want to do something for him, but I cannot. If I did, Yuuta will be angry at me, because he would think that I still treat him like a child. So I wouldn't do anything. However, I got stuck with my worry, my desire to help and with the knowledge that I should not do anything that would anger him. All these emotions are very hard to hold and they make me be more worried than I was already. Ryoma-chan, I didn't meet your brother for such a long time, but I know that he must be thinking exactly the same things as I do. Ryoma-chan, do you want to let your brother to be worried about you like this?"

"No! I don't want him to be like that!" Ryoma protested in a horrified tone, jumping on her legs. "I-I cannot let him worry about me like that."

"Then you should not be in the state that you're in right now. Don't let what happen to him weigh on your heart. It's normal to feel worry for a family member who is hospitalized, but it's wrong to let yourself being completely immersed by your worry. "

"H-Hai…" Ryoma trailed, then sat back down. "I-I will try to not let my worry burden the other people," she promised.

Fuji smiled.

"That's a good thing to heard."

"But how do I do that?"

Fuji reflected a moment.

"You remember when we were telling ghost stories?"

Ryoma nodded.

"During that time, you weren't worrying about your brother, right?"

"Yes, of course not! Because they were there, I couldn't-…!" Ryoma suddenly stopped. Something flashed in her head, something that could be very important.

That Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori or Kikumaru would want to sleep in a futon on a cold floor just for the fun if doing unusual and weird things, she could very easily understand that. But that even Yagyuu and Atobe sacrificed the comfort of a big, soft and warm duck feathers mattress and silk bed sheets for a poor little futon on a cold floor, it wasn't normal. And they didn't complain about it even once! That wasn't normal from them. Unless they were…

"M-masaka… Don't tell me…" Ryoma looked at Fuji, who looked directly at her. Fuji's eyes answered her unvoiced question. "H-how could have I not seen that…?"

Not only did she worried her brother, but also all the regulars. In front of them, her pride commanded her to pretend that she wasn't worried about her brother, who was miles and miles away from her. But she didn't see anything around her. She didn't see how the boys were worried for her, when they were just there, next to her, with her.

"I… I…" Ryoma couldn't find anything to say. There was no excuse to her selfishness. And for some unknown explanation, something fell down from her eyes and wet her cheeks. "I-I feel so miserable… being so selfish…" Now, tears flooded out from her eyes. "I-I am sorry…"

She cried.

She thought that there wasn't any tear left in her body after Ryoga's incident, but it looked like that are still things left to cry out. Fuji put an arm on her shoulder and pulled her to him. He tucked her head in the crook of his neck and let her cry in his chest.

"Ryoma-chan…" he softly hushed her.

She cried, cried, cried and cried. She relinquished all the stress that she had accumulated during the past week. She almost got violated by strangers. Her brother was in the hospital because he was protecting her. And he nearly lost his life in the process. And now, here, while she worried about her brother, she didn't see anything happening around her. She was blind to the regulars' smallest gesture to comfort her, to make her feel better. Everything poured out from her through her tears. She cried to no end.

But as she was thinking about all what happen during the last weeks and while her tears kept escaping her eyes, she felt the weight on her heart lightening. And that was thanks to the senpai, who encouraged letting go of her emotions without interfering. She felt much better after crying.

"There there…" Fuji softly cooed her, patting her head, tightening his arms around her.

* * *

After a long moment, Ryoma finally calmed down. She was still crying, but silently. Fuji could still feel her tears through his already wet shirt.

"Ryoma-chan, when you are sad, what does your brother do?" Fuji softly asked.

"He let me sleep with him in his bed," Ryoma answered.

Fuji pulled Ryoma on his lap, making her sat across his legs, and put his arms around her shoulders.

"Ah! Fuji-senpai!"

"For tonight, I will replace your brother. I will be him and I will let you sleep with me. So stop crying now," Fuji said, gently wipping her tears with his fingers. Ryoma was so surprised by his action that she stopped crying without realizing.

"H-hai…" Ryoma hesitantly answered. It felt so awkward to her. Even if he told her that he would replace Ryoga for the night, Ryoma couldn't really picture him as her big brother.

Fuji put a hand on her head on and pulled it against his chest. After a moment, she finally relaxed against him. His heart beat and the warm emitting from his chest caused her eye lids to become heavy, little by little. She wanted to sleep, but something still bothered her.

"Fuji-senpai…"

"Hum? Nani? (3)"

"You won't tell weird stories, right? Aniki doesn't tell weird stories."

Fuji softly chuckled.

"No, I won't. Now sleep."

"Hai…"

Ryoma closed her eyes.

"Arigatou… senpai…"

"Dou itashimashite."

Ryoma didn't hear his last words as she drifted into sleep in his arms.

After a couple of minutes, the door silently opened again to reveal Yukimura, Tezuka and Yagyuu. The window behind Fuji opened too and Marui's and Niou's head popped out. They peered down on the sleeping girl in Fuji's arms.

"She should feel better from now," Fuji whispered.

They nodded and smiled to him while looking at Ryoma's calm face.

* * *

(1) onsen: hot spring;

(2) futon: Japanese mattress;

(3) nani: what is it?


	36. Ryoma learn who are the German players

The next day, Ryoma felt much better. She wasn't sad anymore and she put her everything into the training. And she was smiling, truly smiled. The regulars were relieved to see her back to her normal self again. She was so seriously into her training that she even did more than what was requested.

They were doing their jogging and they reached a small suspension bridge.

"Ha…! Ha…! Ha…!" Kirihara panted. "Buchou, can we take a short break? We have been running for hours now!"

"Tezuka, Atobe?" Yukimura asked their opinions. The two buchous nodded to him, agreeing.

"Very well," Yukimura said. "We can rest a little bit."

"Thank you!" the boys answered.

Momoshiro and Gakuto slumped to the ground. Kirihara and Jirou lay down on their back on the grass. Marui and Niou took their time to sit down next to them. Kaido sat on a big rock. Kawamura and Ootori did the same. Oshitari and Ooishi took sips from their bottles of water. Sanada leaned against a tree. Yukimura also chose a rock to sit on. Fuji, Yagyuu and Yanagi preferred to stand up, enjoying the fresh breeze. Inui was holding his stopwatch, checking the time. Kabaji gave Atobe a towel so Atobe could wipe his sweat. Tezuka, standing up, watched everyone.

Ryoma, who was behind, finally joined them after a couple of minutes. It was a disadvantage to have the shortest legs in the team. She decided to change that.

"Because I was behind, I'm going ahead. Meet you again up there later," she said, still jogging her legs. And she crossed the bridge.

"Ah! Echizen/Ochibi!" Kirihara, Momoshiro and Kikumaru called her. But she already disappeared from their view.

Tezuka slightly smiled, very happy to see her like that. Yukimura and Yagyuu smiled too as they watched her. But Tezuka was disappointed by something else.

"How can you let a girl go ahead of you when she was late and far behind you!" Tezuka snapped.

"Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" the regulars cringed.

"If you are still tired, you can drink my latest creation. It will immediately make you feel vigorous again," Inui said, showing his bottle of juice.

"Ya_daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_!" Their echo spread into the mountain, scaring the birds away.

-

"Huh?" Ryoma looked behind her, from where she saw the birds flying away. "Is somebody dying?" And they seemed to be in a lot of pain. "Bah! Not my business!" She continued to run ahead.

-

Back to the boys. They preferred to cut their break short rather than having to drink Inui's (crappy) juice. They hastily sprinted after Ryoma.

"Ochibiiiiiii! Why you!!" Kikumaru wailed.

"You sadistic evil monster!" Kirihara chained. The others agreed with them, but didn't say it. Fuji and Yukimura chuckled.

* * *

Night.

They finished supper. It was time for the meeting. Before the meeting started, Yanagi and Inui talked with Yukimura.

"Yukimura," Yanagi simply said. Yukimura nodded to him, understanding the unvoiced question.

"You can tell now," Yukimura said. Yanagi and Inui nodded. Then, they went into the room where everybody was waiting for them.

* * *

Inui and Yanagi moved in front of the room, where a projector was prepared for their disposition. The regulars were sat in front of them, waiting patiently for them to start.

"As you know, we will play against Germans this time. So we are going to introduce to you the players of the Germany team," Yanagi started while Inui plugged his laptop to the projector and pulled down a white screen.

All the regulars discreetly slipped a glance at Ryoma, who was looking at the white screen, waiting for Yanagi and Inui to continue. They were anxious. How will she react? And Sakaki-coach and Ryuuzaki-sensei were also looking at her. Yanagi and Inui looked a last time to Yukimura, who nodded to them. Yanagi clicked on the PLAY button. On the screen, Ryoma saw appearing the pictures of eight foreigner tall guys, aligned one next to the other.

_'Huh? What?! No way!' _Ryoma's face lost all color. She blinked. _'It-it can't be…' _She shut her eyes, refusing to look at the screen. _'Calm down… Calm down… It must be my imagination…' _She took a deep breath. _'Let's try to look more carefully again at the pictures…'_

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The contrast of the black room with the light of the screen made her vision blurry. Little by little, the image got clearer. Slowly again, Ryoma raised her eyes to the screen. First, from the bottom. Then, the middle of the screen. And finally, the whole screen.

_'N-no… I-it cant' be… I-it's not my imagination…'_

Ryoma's lips trembled. She stared blindly at the screen. From the right to the left, the bald one, the pink skin one, the long face with red-brown hair one, the bandanna, the blue-grey cap, the black with bleach hair, the bony face and the light blond hair boy.

_'It's… It's really them…'_

Everything around her became pitch black, except the screen with the eight pictures. Ryoma's fingers twitched. Then, slowly, they curled into fists. The beating of her heart gradually became louder in her ears. Little by little, its rhythm ran faster and its pumping got stronger. Her whole body tensed. Then stiffened. Her blood froze in her veins. From inside her heart, a small fire was starting to ignite. Then, the fire, which was red, turned black. Suddenly, the tiny fire grew dangerously big, devouring all her heart. Ryoma stopped breathing. No oxygen could enter her body anymore. The lack of oxygen caused her blood to darken until they became black too, like petrol. Feeding on the petrol-blood, the fire exploded and ran all over through her body, to every place where there was blood. A storming desire for revenge consumed her heart and her mind. Her good conscious voice, which was desperately trying to reason her, got burned away, killed by the raging fire. Only left in Ryoma were darkness and murderous thoughts. She lost herself to her black heart.

Suddenly, something cool covered her closed fists.

_'AH!'_

Ryoma snapped out of her reverie and the room appeared again in her eyes. Ryoma blinked twice, now awake up and back to reality.

"Ryoma, calm down," Fuji, who sat next to her, whispered to her in a deep and smooth voice. And he dropped her suffix "-chan", which was enough to surprise her. Under the table, Fuji squeezed her hands. The coolness of his hands entered her skin and went inside her. From where he touched her, her blood became purified. It lost its thick texture of oil and returned back to its normal state of red blood. Slowly, that coolness ran up to her heart and extinguished the black fire. And from the heart, it ran down through her other veins, purifying all the oil blood in the other parts of her body.

Fuji squeezed her hands harder, refusing to release them until he could feel all the anger inside her completely extinguished. Then, the coolness of his hand transformed into a gentle warmth, which brought peace to her heart. Ryoma took a deep breath, allowing new oxygen to enter her. Her heart restarted to beat in a normal pace. A new light lit in her head and in her heart. It was her good conscious, which was reborn again.

_'Calm down… Calm down…'_ it said, just like Fuji.

Ryoma took another breath. Her heart beat again, activating the circulation of her blood. She took a third breath. The circulation of her blood went back to normal. Slowly, she uncurled her hands. But they were still shaking. And so were her lips. She bit them to make them stop.

"Shhh_…_" Fuji gently hushed, still not releasing her hands.

Ryoma took a very big breath, held it in, then breathed out. Her hands and her lips stopped trembling. The blood ran up to her pale cheeks and gave them back their pink peach tint. She closed her eyes, waiting. When she felt that her heart and mind were at peace again, she opened her eyes. Slowly, she turned to meet with Fuji's gentle cerulean eyes. She opened her mouth, but it was her eyes which said "Thank you" to him. He smiled tenderly to her, his hand still covered hers, but gently now. Seeing his tender smile, Ryoma's eyes widen and her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. Then, she too smiled back to him. Fuji nodded to her and the two of them turned to listen to Yanagi and Inui again. Fuji didn't let go of her hands.

When the other regulars and Yuuta saw Ryoma's smile, they inwardly sighed out of relieve. Then, they smiled too.

_'Echizen!/Ochibi!/Ryoma!' _they thought. And they too turned their attention back to Yanagi and Inui, a smile tugging their lips.

But Sakaki-coach, who didn't stop watching Ryoma from the beginning, wasn't smiling.

_'You did well Echizen, but…'_ he thought.

* * *

"Ah! Ryuuzaki-sensei!" Kaido exclaimed in panic, jumping from his seat.

Hearing Kaido's exclamation, everybody turned their head to Ryuuzaki-sensei, who was kneeling on the floor, a hand grabbing her chest area. From the expression of her face, she was in pain, in a lot of pain.

"Sensei!"

The regulars were going to gather around her, but Inui blocked their way.

"Step aside!" he shouted.

Only Yanagi and Yagyuu were permitted to go near the suffering old woman.

"Call the ambulance!" Atobe said. Gakuto went to do it.

May, who came upon hearing people shouting, immediately ran to Ryuuzaki-sensei when she saw her in pain. Before becoming a maid, she was trained as a nurse, so she knew what do to. While Yanagi unfasten Ryuuzaki-sensei's clothes, May checked Ryuuzaki-sensei's heart beat and pulse.

"It's a heart attack," May said.

Yagyuu and May looked to each other. Then, they nodded. May performed the artificial respiration while Yagyuu did the CPR by chest compression.

After a moment, Yagyuu talked.

"Dame da (2)," he said. "She cannot wait until the arrival of the ambulance."

Since it took an hour to get to the mansion from the village, the fastest speed the ambulance could get to their place would be half an hour. But going uphill and down again, it would be more than one hour before they get to a hospital.

"Let's bring her down to the village by car! It will be faster than having the ambulance come up here!" Yanagi said.

Enzou left outside to start the car. May went outside the room and immediately came back with a black bag. From inside, she took out a syringe and injected something to Ryuuzaki-sensei.

"This should help her to hold a little bit longer," May said. "Help me carry her out!"

"Kabaji!" Atobe called.

"Usu!"

Carefully, Yagyuu and Yanagi put Ryuuzaki-sensei on Kabaji's shoulders and they ran outside, where Enzou was waiting for them in front of the door. The others followed them outside, but stayed aside to give them room. Yagyuu and Yanagi laid the old teacher on the back seat. May sat next to her.

Sakaki-coach turned to the three buchous.

"I will go with her. I leave everything in your hands!" Sakaki-coach said.

"Hai!" Atobe and Tezuka answered while Yukimura nodded.

Sakaki-coach glanced at all them a last time before climbing in the car on the passenger seat. No one said anyhing as they watched the car flying away at full speed.

* * *

On the way to the hospital, Sakaki-coach was thinking about what happened today. Today was the last day for Ryoma to prove herself. During the meeting, she didn't let her anger out of her. She was able to grow up a little bit psychologically, but…

_'But…' _he thought.

But right now, the most important was Ryuuzaki-sensei. They reached the small village under the mountain and met face to face with the ambulance. Ryuuzaki-sensei was immediately carried away. May climbed in the ambulance with Ryuuzaki-sensei. Sakaki-coach followed the ambulance with Enzou.

Sakaki-coach wasn't worried about the regulars. With Yukimura and Tezuka to take his place, he could be in peace. However, Sakaki-coach forgot about something…

* * *

(1) futon: Japanese mattress;

(2) dame da: it's not possible, it won't work.

A/N: For the readers of "Everyday with Rin", just to let you know, I'm still working on it. It just that I don't stop rewritting over and over again the same chapter. I just rewrote it again two days ago. It's because I focuse more on "Seiyou Acadmey", where I have more ideas. But the new chapter is taking a clearer form now. Thank you for your patience.


	37. Kitchen destruction

From last time…

But Sakaki-coach, who didn't stop watching Ryoma from the beginning, wasn't smiling.

_'You did well Echizen, but…'_

* * *

The next day. Even if the coaches weren't there, Tezuka didn't allow anyone to slack off. After all, Sakaki-coach was counting on Yukimura, Atobe and him while he was absent. Thus, the regulars still had their very early morning jogging. It was chance that Enzou and May had prepared for them their breakfast and a picnic basket for lunch the day before. That way, they could continue their training without having to interrupt it to prepare themselves something to eat. But Enzou and May didn't prepare the dinner…

Ryoma finished her bath. She felt good and refreshed after getting rid of sweat and dirt from her body. As she carried her bathing stuff in her room, her stomach growled.

_'It's about supper time,'_ she realized. She headed to the dining room.

However, there was no one in the dining room. Instead, she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Curious, she went to the kitchen. All the boys were there. And the kitchen was…

Ryoma's eyes blanked and she froze at the door of the kitchen.

The kitchen was a disaster.

A disaster.

A _**D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R!!!!**_

There was no other way to describe it. It looked like a tornado had passed by. A weird smell was in the air and there was even a black cloud floating under the ceiling.

On the table in the middle of the kitchen, Kirihara was chopping vegetables. There were huge, big, tiny, very small, short, too short, long, too long, thick, very thick, thin and very thin slices of carrot, cucumber, eggplant, daikon (1) and tomato. There were also broken stones from the marble cutting board mixed with vegetable. While Kirihara chopped, Gakuto put everything in a big bowl and placed them on the table.

_CRACK!_

Kirihara just destroyed the marble cutting board. It split into two pieces.

_Ffffft! Ffffffffft! BAM! BAM!_

Kirihara threw the two broken pieces in the trash mountain, where Ryoma was sure it was the emplacement of the garbage bin. Kirihara took out the wood cutting board from the kitchen counter and continued his massive destruction of the vegetable. This time, it was little pieces of wood which were added to the chopped vegetable. Gakuto continued his filling task and there were already five big bowls filled with the vegetable - and also with wood and stones from the chopping boards.

Marui was making bread. He poured out a whole bag of flour right on the surface of the table. He even threw in a whole bar of butter and a dozen eggs - with the egg shells. He also added a whole bag of sugar. Even if one likes sweet bread, no one would actually put that much sugar in. However, the amount Marui put in was just abnormally big. But it was also true that he was a sugar freak… On the floor, where Marui stood, there was a… an _ocean_(!), a dry ocean of flour, egg, butter and sugar. Momoshiro was crouched in front of the oven, checking the baking process of something inside. Ryoma saw a huge and black… _something_ (she couldn't give it a name, she couldn't identify it) carbonizing inside the oven. Could it be the (supposed) 'bread'? And it seemed that the black cloud under the ceiling came from the oven. Was their nose blocked or sick? Couldn't they smell the weird (burning) smell from the oven?

Next to Momoshiro, standing in front of the stove, was Kikumaru, a frying pan in his hand. Kikumaru skillfully flipped the pan over his head. A black and round thing with some white spots flew out from the pan and landed skillfully in the plate placed behind him on the table. As expected from Seiyou acrobatic player! But that round thing was still black. What was it? And what were the white spots? Ryoma saw Kikumaru took his ladle, spooned a yellow liquid from a bowl and poured it in his pan. So the black thing was egg. Apparently, he was making egg omelets. So Ryoma supposed that the white spots were the egg shell.

Niou stood in front of a big stock pot. It was filled to its maximum. Ryoma saw a big octopus tentacle hanging out from the side of the stock pot. It wasn't even cut in little pieces to make the cooking easier. How did he think he could cook something so big? Niou took a vegetable bowl from where Gakuto put them and poured the content in the stock pot. Then, he threw the bowl in the sink, where there was already a mountain of dirty plates piled up inside. Niou took another vegetable bowl and did the same thing to the previous bowl. And he did so to all the other bowls. The content in the stock pot piled up until it reached the ceiling, piercing through the black cloud.

On the floor, there on the left side of the stove, there was a broken plate. Next to it was a broken cup. Three steps to the right, three other smashed plates. A soup bowl cracked into three unequal pieces laid next to the foot of the table. A mass of broken ceramic dishes was added to the trash mountain, where the garbage bin was supposed to exist, making the trash mountain looked more… colorful, more… vivid, and more… lively?

It was a good thing that the other regulars had the decency to stand aside and only watch. Ryoma didn't dare trying to imagine how the kitchen would look like if all of them also helped (cough cough) _cooking_ the supper. She couldn't picture what it would look like. It was beyond her imagination. But then again, she also didn't want to see what it would look like.

_'Disaster. DISASTER. A disaster! There is no other word to describe this,'_ Ryoma thought again.

Sakaki-coach wasn't worried about the regulars. With Yukimura and Tezuka to take his place, he could be in peace. However, Sakaki-coach forgot about something… The regular boys, born with a silver spoon in their mouth from the first day they came into the world, didn't know how to cook.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!?" Ryoma burst from the door frame of the kitchen.

Everybody turned their head to see their female regular in shock.

"Oh! Echizen!" Niou greeted her as he plopped a basket of whole potatoes in the stock pot. The (supposedly) soup overflew out of the stock pot. "Yikes!" Niou jumped away from pot, avoiding to be splashed by the boiling water. The mountain of vegetable in the stock pot trembled, threatening to crash at any moment. Ryoma was surprised that it hadn't fallen yet. It was a miracle that it was still standing up.

"What happened here?" Ryoma asked again.

"Enzou-san and May-san didn't prepare the supper for us before leaving, so there is no one here to cook our meals," Yagyuu explained.

"But none of us know how to cook. Only Inui has some "cooking" experiences, so we let him take charge of everything," Oshitari said, sighing.

"And Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Gakuto, Momoshiro and Kikumaru volunteered to help," Yuuta added.

"I also wanted to help, but there isn't anything I can do," Ootori said.

Previously, Ootori offered to boil water for the tea. However, he took a frying pan to do it. The water burned. _**BURNED! **_And there was also a big hole in the middle of the frying pan. Ryoma had to admit. These boys were genius in the kitchen. They succeed to do what nobody could do before them, not even the first worldwide cook-chef. Burning water, also burning a high-class five-star quality frying pan until it had a hole in the middle and causing an absolute disaster in the kitchen.

". . ." Ryoma couldn't say anything. She couldn't think of anything to say. She snapped.

_**Pop! GRAB!**_

_Flop! Flop! Flop! Flop! Flop!  
_

Ryoma grabbed the bunch of kitchen-disaster-creators by the neck of their shirt and threw them out. She also sent the remaining regulars out. Then, she stood in the middle of the door frame of the kitchen, blocking the way.

"_**YOU**_ don't cross this door until I say you can!" she shouted. "Otherwise…" With her hands, she gestured slicing her throat.

_Shlick!_

The guys gulped, covering their throat with their hands, protecting it. Ryoma grabbed a rolling pin on the table and handed it to Kabaji.

"Kabaji, if one of them dares to step inside but one centimeter without my permission, you **_kill_ _it_**!" Ryoma ordered.

"Usu!"

They boys turned blue. In other words, if they wanted to keep their head on their shoulders, they better obeyed to her words.

That night, they were saved from food poisoning, thanks to Ryoma. Sure, her cooking wasn't as good as their personal cook-chefs or as her mother, but it was certainly _waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay_ better than the one-hour-live cooks. Her cooking wasn't bad. It tasted good. Of course, the boys still couldn't count on her artistic senses for the presentation, but the first criterion in this situation was the **_edibility_** of the food. Inui's more-than-one-hour-live cooking experiences (from the moment he became a tennis player) couldn't even win against Ryoma with the _edibility_ criteria. And so, to be sure that they would still be alive until the coaches' return, Ryoma was in charge of their meals, which many were relieved of that decision. Only Inui was a little bit disappointed. A very good opportunity to have the regulars testing his new creations just slipped away from his hands. The boys offered to help, Ryoma refused (because she feared to meet with another ocean size garbage dump in the kitchen). However, she accepted Kawamura's, Shishido's, Kaido's and Kabaji's offer. Kawamura knew good recipes, Shishido and Kaido were helpful without causing mess and Kabaji was her kitchen door guard.

Alas for Ryoma, her problems didn't stop there…

* * *

(1) daikon : a big white radish, very popular in Japanese cooking.


	38. He is sick, you are sick, we are sick

From last time…

Alas for Ryoma, her problems didn't stop there…

* * *

Sadly for the regulars, because the coaches weren't there to stop him, Inui came up with a new training regime, which was harder than the previous one he built. Sadly again, Sanada strongly agreed with the new regime.

_'Those two need to lay down,' _Ryoma, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Momoshiro and Kikumaru ranted in their head as they sprinted faster so they could avoid Inui's Golden Deluxe Vigor Hyper Power Juice number XXX. They forgot what version number it was because they didn't want to remember. Yukimura and Fuji enjoyed seeing everybody suffering. They even ran faster ahead just to scare the hell out of them, and made them run even faster.

Like the past day, their training was hard and tiring. But today's one was particularly difficult. The weather was bad. In the morning, when they started their jogging, it was cold and smoggy. Adding in a freezing wind too which made the weather even worse. The ground was wet, they had more power wrists, power ankles and the pack bag filled with sand was twice bigger than during the first days. In the middle of their jogging, they got caught by the rain, so they decided to return back to the mansion instead of waiting for it to pass. When they arrived, they were all soaking wet from the head to the toe.

By night, the bad weather turned into a violent storm. The wind was strong and it was pouring like crazy outside. While it was ragging outside, they were still working inside. Yanagi and Inui showed them new tennis strategic play pattern they developed. They had made a research on the German team. With the videos Sakaki-coach had left to them, they studied the play style and techniques of each of the Germans team players. When they finished, Tezuka let them do what they wanted. They relaxed in the living room. Meanwhile, Ryoma, with Kawamura's, Shishido's and Kaido's help, took care of the supper. Yukimura, Fuji and Yuuta came to help to. Kabaji had let them pass through the door. Surprisingly, the two older teens were very good handling knifes. But then again, Yukimura was a Child of God and Fuji was a tensai, so it wasn't that surprising. Yuuta helped washing the vegetable and the dishes - without breaking anything.

* * *

After the supper, Ryoma went to take a bath. After she finished and left the bathroom, the telephone rang. Ryoma picked it up.

"Moshi moshi, Echizen speaking."

"Echizen, this is Sakaki-coach."

"Sakaki-coach? How is Ryuuzaki-sensei?"

"She had a heart attack, but she is fine now. She is sleeping as I talk to you. How is it up there?"

"Fine too. Tezuka-buchou and Yukimura-senpai are taking care of everything."

"Good. Tell them to continue what they are doing."

"Hai."

"One more thing, Echizen."

"Hai?"

"Because of the storm, a landslide had happened in the middle of the road. I cannot come to the camp until they finish cleaning the road. And so Enzou and May-san. Tell Tezuka and Yukimura that I'm counting on them until I return."

"Hai. Wakarimashita (1)."

Ryoma greeted Sakaki-coach a last, sent her regards to Ryuuzaki-sensei and put down the phone.

_'Okay. Find Tezuka-buchou and Yukimura-senpai and tell them.'_

Ryoma went to search for them. She found them in the living room with all the others. But she also discovered something else. Something that she wasn't very happy to discover…

* * *

Because of the bad weather, the cold, the rain and added in that you were tired, it was normal to become a little bit sick. But what wasn't normal was…

"HOW COME YOU ARE _**All**_ SICK? AND _ALL AT THE SAME TIME_!" Ryoma shouted from the door frame of the living room, very pissed off.

"ATCHOU!" Ootori pull a Kleenex and sneezed in. His face was red and his eyes were blurry.

"Poueeeeeeeeeeeeet!" Niou blew in his Kleenex like a trumpet. He made a ball of the Kleenex and threw it to the overfull bin, which was buried under a mountain of Kleenex.

"Cough cough cough!" Marui coughed, hugging a pillow, the Kleenex box next to him because his nose didn't stop running. His eyes were red. Kaido and Shishido had a blanket covering them but they were still trembling. Kikumaru and Gakuto lay on their back on the floor, their blanket threw away. After feeling too cold, they felt like burning now. Momoshiro looked pitiful and Yuuta wasn't better compared to him.

"Echizen…" Kirihara whimpered and gloomily looked at her. He stood up from his chair and walked to her with a zombie-like walk. But he didn't reach her that he collapsed right in front of her, at her feet. "Ahhh…" He felt so weak.

"Kirihara! Get hold of yourself!" she panicked. She helped him getting up. "How come you are sick? I thought that idiots don't get sick!"

"Ahhh…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and Momoshiro whined.

"Yukimura-senpai, how did this happen?" Ryoma asked as she helped Kirihara sitting back on his chair.

"Cough! Yesterday… Cough cough! Kirihara caught a slight cold. Cough cough cough! Apparently, it got worst and we all caught it too. Cough cough cough! I guess it was because we bathed together. Cough!" Yukimura said in a horse voice. Taking a bath while having a cold wasn't a smart thing to do. The cold would only get worse. And because the boys bathed together, the cold spread among them. "Cough cough cough!" Yukimura coughed again. Sanada gave him a Kleenex box. "Arigatou." Yukimura changed his used tissue for a new one.

Ryoma looked around the room, her eyes going from one person to another. Tezuka, sat in his armchair, was stoic, but his face was red. Fuji softly coughed behind his handkerchief. Kabaji wasn't standing behind Atobe, but he was sat, a Kleenex box in his hand. So he too didn't feel well. Atobe's eyes were half closed, looking very tired. Jirou wasn't sleeping and his nose was red. He coughed so much that he couldn't sleep. Yanagi and Inui were fighting against a headache. Oshitari and Yagyuu tried to keep their head straight on their shoulders. But it was so hard for them that they leaned themselves on the back of their seat. They also looked very tired.

"Is there any of you who isn't sick?" Ryoma asked.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Atchou! Atchou! Atchou!"

"Poeeet!"

"Cough. Cough. Cough cough cough!"

"Poeeet! Poeeet! _**Poeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!**_"

"Cough!"

A concerto of animal neighs was the only answer. Ryoma closed her eyes, her head tilted down. Then she looked up in the sky, praying.

_'Oh kami-sama, help me…'__  
_

* * *

Ryoma was stuck to take care of all the regulars alone. Sakaki-coach, Enzou and May weren't there and she was the only still standing on her feet. Ryoma moved them all in the common room so it would be easier to take care of them. She had them slipped in futon and rested. After that, she called home to ask her mother how to take care of sick people. After Rinko's indications, Ryoma moved to the kitchen. She took out ingredients and made a sweet ginger soup. She immediately had them to drink it. The ginger soup would help to slow the progression of the cold from getting worse.

Then, she returned back to the kitchen to make something more consistent to eat. She made a simple leek porridge and while the porridge was cooking, she went to search for medicines for cold in the house. She found them in a cupboard. When the porridge was ready, she poured it in bowls for all of them. She put the bowls on a tray and ran to the common room. She had them eat it. She knew Kirihara and Momoshiro hated leek, but they were so weak that they didn't even complain once when she fed them with her porridge. Lastly, she had them drink the medicines and then told them to sleep, and they immediately obeyed her. She put a cold towel on their foreheads, which she had previously soaked in water with ice cubes.

When she heard them breathing soundly in their sleep, she returned back to the kitchen with the empty bowls of porridge. She cleaned the dishes and put them back in the cupboard. After an hour, the kitchen was clean again, and she returned back in their room, carrying a basin of water with ice. She changed the towels on their heads. She finished changing the last towel at 4 a.m. in the morning. Ryoma was dead tired. Not taking a shower - too tired -, she returned to her own room. She dropped on her bed and immediately drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day, she woke up it start at 7a.m.. She thought hearing someone coughed. She hastily sprinted to the common room. The boys were still sleeping, but Shishido and Gakuto were coughing in their sleep. Some of them still had a red face, their pad towel had fallen down next to their heads. Ryoma ran down to fetch cold water with ice and ran up again. She cleaned the sweat on their face and changed the towel on their forehead.

When she finished, she returned to the kitchen to cook porridge again. After an hour or two, she went back into the room. The boys were awake, but no one was talking. It was surprising because Ryoma never saw them so quiet before.

The whole day, she kept doing the same thing: running up and down from the common room to the kitchen and taking care of the sick boys' non-stop. She barely took a break to feed herself. She just picked a piece of bread in the kitchen, plopped it in her mouth while climbing the stair to the common room and finished swallowing when she reached the door. Later in the day, the same thing happened to the apple she stole from the fruits basket.

* * *

Fuji took out his thermometer from his mouth. It had dropped to its normal temperature. He was almost cured. And all thanks to Ryoma. Speaking about her… The door of the common room opened and she entered with a tray in her hands. She saw Fuji sat in his futon.

"Fuji-senpai!" She put the tray on the nearby table, rushed to him and kneeled down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine now. Thank you," Fuji said, smiling. He showed her the thermometer. "I'm almost cured." Ryoma took to instrument, checking it. It had dropped from 39 °C to 37,5 °C. Almost 37,2 °C. So almost cured.

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed. "Yokatta (2)."

"Thank you, Echizen-chan, for taking care of us," Yukimura, sat in his futon next to Fuji, said.

"Yukimura-senpai, you wake up! How are you too?"

"I'm feeling much better now," Yukimura said, smiling to her.

"Ahhh…" Kirihara whimpered slightly and opened his eyes.

"I feel like a got hit by a truck or got ran over by a herd of elephants," Niou said as he slowly sat up from his futon.

"I know what you mean," Oshitari said. He put on his glasses, which were put behind his pillow.

One after the others, the regulars woke up and sat up in their futon. They still whimpered a little bit like baby, but Ryoma was happy to see them healthier than the two nights before. Ryoma ran to the table where she put her tray and took it. She gave to each of them a cup.

"What is it?" Shishido suspiciously asked, watching the amber color liquid.

"Something kaa-san told me to make you drink. There are ginger, lemon and honey in it," Ryoma answered as she put a cup in Yagyuu's hand. "Now drink it! Be careful! It's very hot." They blew on their cup and slowly drank it until the last drop. Marui, Kikumaru and Gakuto licked their lips.

"Hmmmm! This is very good, Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru said. Kirihara was trying to lick up the last drop remained inside the cup.

"Thank you, Echizen, for taking care of us," Tezuka said. They nodded to her.

"Thank you, Echizen/Ochibi!"

". . ." Silence. Strangely, Ryoma didn't respond back to them. Her head was tilted down, hiding her eyes from the others. Finding it strange, Fuji slightly touched her right shoulder. She didn't move either.

"Ryoma-chan?" Fuji hesitantly called.

"Echizen/Ryoma?" Yukimura and Yuuta also found Ryoma's behaviour strange. Dumbfounded, Yukimura hesitantly raised a hand to Ryoma, waving it in front of her to see if she reacted. Yet, Ryoma still didn't move nor did she say a word. Yukimura frowned. This time, he was seriously worried. He lifted his hand up to touch Ryoma's forehead. But his fingers barely brushed against her forehead before Ryoma fell backward.

"Echizen!/Ochibi!/Ryoma!" all the boys panicked as Fuji caught her.

In Fuji's arms, Ryoma was breathing heavily. Her face was red. She was sweating and burning.

"Ha…! Ha…! Ha…!"

"Ryoma!" Fuji called.

"Ahhhhhh! Echizen! Echizen! Ochibi! Echizen! Ochibiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Kikumaru and Kirihara started to yell. They jumped off their futon and ran all around the room, behaving crazily. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Echizen! Ochibiiiiiiiiiiiii! Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"What is happening here?" a voice toned from the door of the room.

Everybody turned their head to see Sakaki-coach. When Sakaki-coach arrived, he was expecting to see the regulars training. However, he didn't see them in the tennis courts, but heard screaming inside the house. He went inside and followed the noise up stair. He found all the regulars in the common room, Kirihara and Kikumaru yelling. When the two panicked boys heard him, they spun to him and ran to him.

"Sakaki-coach! Echizen/Ochibi is dead! She died!" they burst.

"_What!_" Sakaki-coach panicked. What had happened when he was away which was so bad, to a point that someone died?

"Call down you two. Stop saying stupid things!" Yagyuu said, a hand on Ryoma's forehead. "She's not dead. She is just sick. She has a fever."

Indeed, under Yagyuu's hand, Ryoma was burning. Sakaki-coach sighed in relief. He knew very well that Kirihara and Kikumaru tended to jump from one conclusion to another without thinking, but they really got him worried this time.

"Bring Ryoma to her room," Yukimura said. Fuji lifted Ryoma up in his arms and carried her away.

* * *

"So, after we left, you all fell sick. And she was the only one who took care of you," Sakaki-coach resumed what Ooishi told him.

"Hai!" the boys answered. Sakaki-coach sighed, watching May injecting antibiotic into Ryoma.

"This will help her to fight against the fever," May said as she removed the syringe from Ryoma's arm.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Sakaki-coach scolded. "While she's the only girl here, not to mention that she's younger than you, she has enough common sense not to panic when you dropped in front of her. But when she became sick, you yelled to the world that she died."

"Sorry," Kirihara and Kikumaru pitifully said, head down.

But inside, Sakaki-coach was very please of what happened when he was away.

_'A strong team doesn't depend only on very skilled and talented players, but also on the bond between its members.' _Sakaki-coach looked at Ryoma's sleeping face. _'It seems that thanks to you, they learned to care for each other and make their bond stronger.'_

* * *

_Dring! Dring!_

The telephone rang. Yuuta went to pick up.

"Moshi moshi. Yuuta speaking."

"Yuuta-kun! (Meooooowww!) It's me, Ryoga. (Mawwwwwrrr!) Karupin wait! (Meaaaw! Meaaaawww!) Stop it, I'm speaking in the phone! (Meowwwwww!) Yuuta, tell me, did something happen to Ryoma? (MAWWWWWWRRRRR!) Ah! Karupin! Don't pull on the line!" Ryoga desperately tried to speak, but Karupin refused to get away from the phone. Ryoga didn't know what happen to Karupin, but it seemed that Karupin was very worried about something.

* * *

Karupin was sleeping in Ryoma's room when he suddenly woke up, alerted. Something was wrong. He knew it. He acted weird, meowing non-stop and probably disturbed the neighbourhood. Even Rinko and Nanako couldn't make him stop. Nanjirou told him to shut up and tried to catch him to make him stop. But Karupin jumped on his face, scratching it, then jumped on Ryoga. When Ryoga asked him what was wrong with him, he bit on Ryoga's clothes and pulled him towards the telephone. He kicked the telephone off and turned around it while still meowing. Ryoga observed Karupin's strange behaviour, dumbfounded, when something suddenly struck him. Karupin then jumped on his head, hitting him with his paws, telling him hurry. Ryoga picked the phone and dialled the number of the house where Ryoma was.

* * *

"Eeeeeeeeehh! How did you know?" Yuuta exclaimed. "Actually, Ryoma caught a fever."

"What!" Ryoga yelled. "(Maoww maowww mawww MAWWWWW!) Karupin, wait!"

"And aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Yuuta asked.

"I was allowed to go home for one night. And a nurse is with me, so it's fine. But Ryoma, is she alright? (MEOOOWWW!) Karupin, calm down! (Mawww mawww maww maooooow!)"

"We have a nurse with us. Ryoma will be fin-…"

"_MAOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!_" Karupin yowled in the phone, calling for Ryoma to speak to him. Yuuta hold the phone away from his ear. The cat was so loud that everybody could hear him.

"Wait! Karupin! Don't eat the phone!" Yuuta heard Ryoga said.

"Yuuta, who is it?" Kikumaru asked when he saw Yuuta holding the phone away from his ears by the length of his arm.

"It's Ryoga-san. And Ryoma's cat seemed to be worried for her."

"Mawwwwwww!" Karupin succeed to make Ryoga dropped the phone on the floor. "Mawwwww!"

* * *

In the mansion, everybody was watching Yuuta and the loud telephone, from which the sound of a cat meowing loud could be heard, and Yuuta, who had a finger in his ear.

"Meow meow meow meow mawwwwww!"

Kikumaru came to Yuuta and took the phone from him.

"Moshi moshi. You are Karupin, right?"

"Mawwww mawwwwwww!" Karupin neighed again. It wasn't his mistress on the phone. He wanted to hear his mistress' voice.

"No, I'm not Ochibi-chan. It's me, Eiji, nyaaaah!"

"Mawww mawww mawwwww!"

"Okay, listen to me. Ochibi-chan is sick, so she needed to rest now. She cannot talk to you now. Do you understand?"

"Meowww…"

"We are taking very good care of her nyaaaaaaah! So don't worry."

"Meow meow!"

"When she will be cured, she will come back to you. Is that okay?"

"Meow meoooow!"

"I promise she will be back to you nyaaaaaaah!"

"…" Karupin didn't say anything.

"That's a good boy nyaaaah!" Kikumaru said. Then, he gave the phone back to Yuuta. Dumbfounded, Yuuta spoke again.

"Ryoga-san, are you still there?"

"Yeah. And it seems that Karupin had calm now. And Ryoma?"

"She's sleeping. I will tell her that you call when she wakes up."

"Thank you. And take care of her please. Bye!"

"Hmn! Bye!" Yuuta nodded and hung down the phone. He turned to Kikumaru. "Kikumaru, how do you know what her cat was saying? Do you know cat-talk?" he asked.

"I don't know if I really know cat-talk. But I figured that the cat would feel worried about Ochibi-chan. Animals are very sensitive to these sort of things, so I say what I thought the cat would want to hear," Kikumaru said.

* * *

Sakaki-coach watched Kirihara, who sat on Ryoma's bed, at her feet. Kirihara looked at Ryoma with a worried expression on his face. Yukimura came to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Kirihara looked up at him.

"Buchou…" Kirihara said sadly. Yukimura smiled to him.

"She will recover soon. May-san said so. Don't worry," Yukimura said. Kirihara didn't respond, but turned his eyes to Ryoma again. Yukimura's eyes softened.

_'He changed a lot,' _Yukimura thought. He looked at Ryoma too. _'Kirihara must be thinking 'If I didn't__fell sick and spread it to everybody, then she wouldn't be sick too.'_'

_'Kirihara, who never cares about anyone who was sick or hurt, is worried about her. __This is a first,' _Sakaki-coach thought.

_'Echizen-chan, we are very lucky to have you __here with us,'_ Yukimura thought.

* * *

(1) wakarimashita: literaly, it's "I understood", but it means "I understand";

(2) yokatta: equivalent to "It's good", "What a relieve!".

A/N: Next chapter… Fuji's big time! ^0^!


	39. Of the wind and the moon part 1: Refusal

A/N: I'm sorry I couldn't post this chapter last week. It was more difficult to do than I first expected. I rather postponed the posting date than making you read the crap that it was. I'm sorry again. For amend, here you have two chapters at once. Please, leave a review for each chapter. Thank you.

And sorry again to failing your expectations… Please, forgive me.

* * *

Before that, I'm answering stuff.

From **Rowan**: You said in an earlier chapter (I think chapter 2) that Ryoga was Nanjiro's best friend's son, whose parents had died in a car accident. Now, you indicate that the parents were murdered. This seems somewhat contradictory, although it COULD be plausible but you should expand just a bit. Also you'd have to explain why the family did not attempt to question Nanjiro about the location of the missing son if he was in fact the best friend of Ryoga's parents.

In the chapter 3, I wrote that Ryoga was Nanjiro's best friend's son, who died in an accident care with his wife, leaving Ryoga orphan. In the chapter 34, you learn that Ryoga's parents were murdered and that he's Yagyuu's cousin, Yuuji Ryou.

From the outside, Ryoga's real parents' car accident was a normal car accident when it was actually a murder disguised as an accident. The police couldn't find anything because the murderers did a good job cleaning everything behind. Nanjirou knew the truth about the "accident", but the most important thing back then was to hide the fact that Yuuji Ryou was still alive. Nanjirou brought the young boy with him from Vermont to California. Rinko, being a lawyer, pulled on the strings on her connection to immediately have the boy becoming Echizen Ryoga and to have Yuuji Ryou "disappeared" and assumed "dead". Usually, if a member of your family is "dead", you let him "die". Only Yagyuu was stubborn and refused to admit that Yuuji Ryou was dead. For him, there was no way Yuuji Ryou, a guy who always had too much luck and good fortune, would "die" so easily. Daring to suddenly "disappear" and leaving a whole bunch of troubles for him to deal with, Yagyuu refused to let that bad sort ass of Yuuji Ryou to get away.

To tell the truth, when I first started Ryoga's story, I never intended to him be a relative of Yagyuu. But as I built up the story, I needed to have Ryoga's role to be more important for the next plot of the story.

So now, let's return to the story. It's Fuji's big time show!

* * *

Midnight.

Fuji closed the door to the bathroom behind him. As he was going to return to his room, a rush of wind blew in the hallway.

_Feeeeewww…_

_'Huh? Someone left a window open?'_ Fuji wondered.

The wind flew against his legs, embracing them. It was like it was calling Fuji to go with it. Without questioning, Fuji let the wind carried his legs where it wanted him to go.

_Wooooooooooooooooooo…_

Fuji walked through the hallway. The wind leaded him pass the door of the bedrooms of his team mates. Kikumaru's and Ooishi's room… Gakuto's and Shishido… Momoshiro's and Kaido's room… Inui's and Yanagi's… Marui's and Niou's… Kirihara's and Ootori's… Yagyuu's and Oshitari's… Tezuka's and Sanada's… Until the last room.

_Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww…_

The wind leaded Fuji through the stair balcony…

_Woooooooooooooo oooooooohhhhh…_

…Through the other end of the hallway…

_Woooooooooooooo…_

The wind stopped in front of a room.

_Fewwww…_

It entered through the small gap of a slightly opened door. Fuji followed it. He put his hand on the door knot and slowly pushed the door open. When he entered, the wind dancing around in the room.

_Fewww… Fewww… Fewww… Feeeewwwwwwwww…_

It swirled on itself a last time, as a last greeting to Fuji. Then, its mission accomplished, it escaped through the window, blowing in the curtain flying.

_Woooo!_

Fuji walked to the window and closed it, feeling a little strange. When he turned on his heels to leave the room, the first thing which came into his sigh was a girl lying in her bed.

_'Ryoma-chan!'_

It was Ryoma's room. The wind had leaded Fuji into Ryoma's room.

* * *

Ryoma was sleeping, but her face was slightly grimacing. Fuji went to her to see the ice pack on her forehead completely melted. He removed it and placed a hand on her forehead. It was still hot. She needed a new cold pad, but she couldn't do it herself. Was this the reason why the wind leaded him into her room? Fuji saw a basin of water on the table next her bed. He took the towel placed next to the basin. He dipped it in the cold water, wrung it, and then placed it on her forehead. Her features immediately relaxed. The newly changed cold pad must have felt very good for her poor burning head.

Fuji sat on her bed, watching her sleeping face. Poor girl. After taking care of everybody's cold until they became better, it was her turn to catch a cold. From what May told them, she must have carried the cold inside her for more than a day. But because she didn't treat it and didn't rest as she should, the cold turned bad and became a fever. Fuji guessed that she caught the cold at the same time as everyone. But instead of resting like they did, she took care of everyone except herself, which was why the cold turned out bad.

Fuji watched her now relaxed face.

_'Echizen Ryoma, you are sure an unusual girl.' _

It was the first time that Fuji met someone who of other people before oneself. Taking care of everybody until oneself fell sick. Fuji never believed that this kind of person could exist in the real live, but Echizen Ryoma just gave him proof of the contrary. And this wasn't the first time that he had to change his opinion about her. Usually, when Fuji Syuusuke had stated his mind on something or about someone, he was never wrong. If there are people who doubt about his judgement, they would have to recognize that he was right later. It was thanks to that sharp observation and analysis skills of his that Fuji Corporation Group stood where it stood today. Fuji Syuusuke was never wrong about anything, but Echizen Ryoma had broken that fact. What was she? What kind of person was she? How did she do to have Fuji Syuusuke make a false analysis about her?

_'Who are you really?'_

First, she was a disrespectful young boy, who didn't know his right place in front of Fuji Syuusuke. That boy dared to stand against him and frankly stated his mind when _the_ Fuji Syuusuke was at fault. No one ever did that to him before. Fuji really thought she was only a cocky head, who needed to be taught a good lesson of respect toward him. Maybe winning Seiyou Academy scholarship when she came from the common world had inflated her head. She even dared to play against a senpai and won instead of letting the senpai win. That Echizen Ryoma boy really didn't know to stay at his rightful place in Seiyou Academy. And Fuji absolutely despised that kind of person, believing oneself to be better than anyone when you're nothing.

* * *

Fuji Syuusuke was never wrong in his judgement about people and people always trusted his judgement. However, this time, about Echizen Ryoma, it didn't go in the same way. His friend, Kikumaru Eiji, who had never doubted him before, had disapproved his judgement about Echizen Ryoma. When they barely met, Kikumaru immediately took a liking into the youngster. He even gave the freshman a permanent nickname and glomped the kouhai every times they met. What kind of black magic did Echizen Ryoma use on the cat boy to have him go against his friend?

_'You had my friend turned against me for you…'_

However, Kikumaru wasn't the only one who sided with Echizen Ryoma against him. Yukimura Seiichi also took the young one under his wings. Yukimura never favoured anyone or treated anyone in any special way unless that person was really worthy to be treated so. Yet, Yukimura was very protective and caring for the cocky and bratty Echizen Ryoma. And Kirihara Akaya, the wild beast who never listens to anyone, was like a tamed puppy in front of the cross-dresser girl. Yukimura once said how he found it incredible that Kirihara had chosen a big sister into his female kouhai. Usually, when Kirihara was being stubborn, he wouldn't listen to anyone, unless it was Yukimura or Fuji. But Yukimura rarely reprimanded Kirihara and Fuji never said a word when Kirihara behaved bad, which left Kirihara to act spoil whenever he wanted and as much as he wanted. But since Ryoma arrived, Kirihara had found a new master, who wasn't as nice as Yukimura and wasn't indulgent like Fuji. But if Kirihara angered Ryoma or did something he shouldn't have, just seeing the girl popping a vein on her forehead was enough to scare him out. And only one word from her would immediately have Kirihara to repair his mischievous. Fuji knew Kirihara highly admired him and would to anything to please him. However despite knowing that Fuji didn't like Echizen Ryoma, Kirihara overlooked Fuji's opinion for the first time. He had chosen Echizen Ryoma over Fuji Syuusuke.

_'You __possess a strange power to change people around you…'_

Kirihara was the perfect example. Before he knew her, Kirihara had a big problem about his personality. Whenever he was driven in pinch during a match, he would lose his mind and his conscience snapped. He would become Devil Akaya. Unlike the normal Kirihara, who played to win, Devil Akaya aimed to destroy physically and psychologically his opponent. And when Kirihara turned into Devil Akaya, no one could do anything to stop him. During these times, only Yukimura's voice could reach him and only Fuji could awake the normal Kirihara back. However, Yukimura and Fuji put together couldn't do what Ryoma did for Kirihara. She had sealed Devil Akaya away!

* * *

Truth to be told, Kirihara never wanted to hurt anyone, but he had no power once Devil Akaya surfaced. However, no one wanted to believe him when he said that he really didn't want to hurt people, especially the one who were Devil Akaya's victims. They feared him. It came to a point that no one wanted to play with him anymore again because of their fear of Devil Akaya. Eventually, they avoided getting near to Kirihara. Though Kirihara never said anything about that, Yukimura knew how much Kirihara felt hurt when he saw people deserting him.

Kirihara never wanted to hurt anyone, but he just had no control over Devil Akaya. However, no one wanted to believe him when he said that. No one. Except Echizen Ryoma.

During a match they had against each other, Kirihara was driven in pinch by Ryoma and he lost himself to Devil Akaya. Kirihara didn't know what happened after he snapped, but when he was back to himself, he saw her on the ground, her left knee bleeding. Horrified, he had broken and had apologized non-stop to her, saying that he didn't want to hurt her. But inside, he already told himself that she would never believe him, just like all the other victims of his devil side. But she gave him the most unexpected answer.

"I believe you," Ryoma simply told him. Kirihara thought he was hallucinating. But Ryoma repeated again. "I believe you, when you said you never intended to hurt me."

Echizen Ryoma, a girl from the common population, believed him. But it couldn't be true that that girl would believe him after that he horribly injured her, to the point that she couldn't stand on her two feet. But she proved to him that she really believed him. After she had recovered, she had challenged him again. And she seriously played against him while she was perfectly aware that he could become Devil Akaya at any moment. Alas for him and for her, Devil Akaya resurfaced again, injuring her again.

When Kirihara returned back to himself, he saw the proof that she really believed him: she was on the ground again. And that time, her two knees were bleeding. Kirihara had felt like he had a knife stabbing his heart and at the same time, a ray hope warming his injured heart. She was the very first person outside of the Rikkaidai regulars who saw him as Kirihara Akaya and not only as Devil Akaya. He broke. He jumped over the net and ran straight to her. He tackled her on the ground, squeezed her in his arms in a Kikumaru-mode death-grip-glomp and cried like a baby against her. She had threatened him that if he wet her shirt, he would have to pay her a new shirt, equalling ten thousand times the shirt original price. But Kirihara didn't release her and continued to cry, soaking her. At the end, she gave up and let him cry as much as he wanted on her, patting his head. After that day, Kirihara came up with a decision: this girl would never be hurt by him again. To be sure that would not happen again, Kirihara learned to seal Devil Akaya away.

* * *

It only took the three words "I believe you" to seal Devil Akaya, but no one had thought about them. Not even Yukimura and Fuji.

That was when Fuji saw the limit of what he could do; a limit of his talent and power. Kirihara would now listen to Echizen Ryoma instead of taking Fuji's opinion word by word.

_'Of course I know everyone has a limit of what they can d__o, but I can't believe that it would be a girl from the common world who would make me realize my own limit.'_

_

* * *

_

Force to admit, Fuji had to review his judgement about Echizen Ryoma. There must be something truly special about her that attracted Kikumaru Eiji, Yukimura Seiichi and Kirihara Akaya and the rest of the regulars to her. At first, Fuji was very bitter about the idea that he had to correct a judgement he'd made. His pride didn't take it very well that a simple girl from the common civilization had brought him to doubt about himself _**AND**_ had him to re-evaluate a judgement he previously made. She got him to lower his pride. It was very humiliating and frustrating.

_'I refused to let a girl from the common world to correct any of my judgment.'_

So Fuji decided to study her, to observe her more. He was determined to find out what underhand trick did she used to gain the regulars' acceptance and friendship.

But as he watched her mingled everyday with the regulars, Fuji was surprised to find himself be amused by her: her outbursts over Kirihara's, Marui's, Niou's and Ootori's childishness, her determination to win against her opponent on the tennis court, the thrilling feeling to watch her play, her reaction each time she fell victim to Kikumaru's death-grip-glomps, her incredibly genius mind at work and stamina when she wanted to escape from Inui's juice treat (threat!), her obedience to Tezuka when he assigned her laps - even reluctantly -, her stubborn refusal to call Atobe by any other name than 'Monkey King' and Atobe's funny reactions, and _et cetera_. Even though Fuji would not admit it, she was entertaining to watch. And also surprisingly, Fuji found himself laughing time by time while observing her. As he thought about it again, Fuji realized that he had a lot of fun whenever she was around. Fuji didn't remember the last time he laughed so much or feeling this kind of enjoyment, but he still refused to accept the existence of Echizen Ryoma among the regulars. He refused to be fooled by the young female regular.

And then, something happened that showed him Echizen Ryoma's true kind heart: Yuuta's behaviour toward him.

Yuuta started to talk to him again.

Fuji opened his eyes, watching Ryoma's sleeping face.

* * *

A/N: If the chapter 40, second par of Fuji's reflection, is not posted in the next hour, it will be before the end of the day. And please, review this chapter. Thank you.


	40. Of the wind and the moon part 2: Fallen

A/N: As I promised this morning in the chapter 39, chapter 40 before the end of the day. Fuji's big time part 2!

Enjoy!

* * *

From last time:

And then, something happened that showed him Echizen Ryoma's true kind heart: Yuuta's behaviour toward him.

Yuuta started to talk to him again.

* * *

Fuji opened his cerulean eyes, watching Ryoma's sleeping face

* * *

Flashback

When they visited Ryoma's house.

_'Ryoma, you did something wonderful for me. I owe you a big favour,'_ Fuji thought.

End flashback

* * *

_'I knew I did something horrible to Yuuta and I lost the hope to have him to forgive me. Yet, you gave me the chance I never dare__d to beg for…'_

Fuji was very protective over Yuuta. To protect him against sadness and pain, he had, for many years, drifted away all of Yuuta's friends. Yuuta was absolutely mad and angry at him, but Yuuta didn't know that his so-called "friends" were only scum, who were only interested into Yuuta's family name and the money behind it. Fuji chased all these scum away from Yuuta, but Yuuta didn't understand the hidden reason behind. When Fuji tried to explain to him, Yuuta refused to listen. Fuji knew he had to stop chasing away all of Yuuta's "friends", but he didn't. He rather had his brother be angry at him than having Yuuta be betrayed later. Eventually, Yuuta never talked to him anymore again.

And suddenly, Yuuta started to talk to him again. How did it happen? How did it start? What hade made Yuuta change like that? Fuji didn't know, but he was very happy. Grateful for that change, Fuji wanted to learn know more about what had made Yuuta change his behaviour towards him. From what Yuuta told him, it was because he met a new friend. And a girl.

A girl.

But what a shock for him it was when the mysterious friend-girl of Yuuta revealed herself into Echizen Ryoma, the freshman Fuji met everyday at school. And he had to understand that that friend-girl of Yuuta wasn't a money hunter. She didn't even know that Yuuta was one of her senpais' younger brother. Fuji still remembered her out-of-the-water-fish face when she learned Yuuta' family name. It was the last thing she expected from Yuuta.

After that day, whether he wanted or not, Fuji** HAD **to change his opinion about Echizen Ryoma. He had to remove the black veil through which he used to watch her. He must re-do all over again his observations about her, but without the veil. Fuji came to discover that under her tomboyish - and sometime reckless - way to be everyday, Echizen Ryoma could actually be a very nice girl. She was just clumsy when she was obligated to behave like a real girl in public, but she possesses a true kind heart. Fuji saw how close her big brother Ryoga and she were. Maybe that was a factor explaining why she was so tomboyish.

_'And yet, you had me change another vision I had of the world.'_

She had him change his opinion about women.

Fuji hates lies. And he hates people who pretended to be what they are not. The most blatant example; people who pretend to be close friends with him while they actually want to be close friends with his money and prestige. Because of the world of lies he lives in, because of all the greedy people surrounding him everyday, Fuji had lose faith in the world. For him, everything was lie and ugliness. He particularly lost faith in the female part of the human species.

* * *

There was once a time, during a social party, a girl bumped into him and got splashed over with his drink. Being the gentleman he was Fuji brought her into a room to clean her dress. But because her dress was completely ruined, Fuji had Shindou go to get her a new dress. Meanwhile, she changed herself into a bathrobe. Because it was not correct to leave a lady alone, Fuji had to stay with her in the room, chatting with her while waiting for Shindou's return. After a hour or so, Shindou returned with a new dress for her. She changed into the new dress and they returned to the party. The next day, the newspaper announced that Fuji Syuusuke had an affair. There were three sensational pictures: one of the girl when she arrived to the party, another of her but in a bathrobe, talking to Fuji Syuusuke and the last one, the girl walking next to Fuji Syuusuke, but in a different dress. It was easy to assume any kind of wrong ideas when people saw a picture of a woman in a bathrobe in a room with a young man.

Fuji instantly became the new target for the gossips and the paparazzi. On the other hand, that girl, a new rising actress in the show business world, immediately had her fame boosted. After that day, she was asked for many interviews and television shows everywhere. Newspapers fed the rumour that she was the future Mrs. Fuji and she was probably pregnant with a heir for the Fuji Corporation Group, because there was a picture of her leaving a gynaecologists cabinet. Fuji himself had to hide from the paparazzi and the sensational journalists. But he didn't let that girl had her way. He investigated about the photographer who took the three pictures and discovered that he and the girl were friends. And probably, they were accomplices in that dirty scheme to reach glory.

She wanted to be famous? Fuji would make her famous. After the scandalous pictures, she was invited into many television prime time shows and was offered many good roles by various dramas and movies makers. In no time, she became the number one in the show business world. Then, the number one movie producer of Japan offered her the main role for his next movie. The girl was overjoyed. It was much more than what she hoped to reach. Having the main role in a movie made by the number one movie producer of Japan would ensure her glory forever. She accepted. A conference press was hold to announce her new role throughout the country. Once again she became the honoured guest in many television and radio shows and was the front page of popular magazines and newspaper.

Suddenly, from a day to another, she lost her role to another actress. It seemed like the main sponsor of the movie - whose name was never mentioned - decided to withdraw from the project. The only way to have him continuing to sponsor the movie was to kick out the main actress. And so she lost her main role. The news that a famous actress like her lost such an important role couldn't be ignored. Bad gossips came up against her. What happened that the famous actress lost her role when the shooting of the movie had already started? Then, a newspaper published the truth behind the three scandalous pictures many months ago with a confession of the photographer. He and the actress were accomplices to nail Fuji Syuusuke.

Fuji Syuusuke.

The name one should never play with. That actress angered Fuji Syuusuke.

Fearing that they lost their sponsors if they continued to employ her - and mostly fearing that Fuji Syuusuke's anger would be directed at them too, all the drama and movie producers cancelled their contracts with her. In one day only, that number one actress of Japan fell into shame and humiliation.

She wanted to be famous, Fuji made her be famous - and made her pay ten thousand time the price. He was the one behind all the many jobs she got. He was the one who brought her to be the number one actress of Japan. And when she had reached the place where she wanted to be - and the place where Fuji Syuusuke wanted her to be - he threw her into doom. One should know to never play against Fuji Syuusuke, for his revenge is fearful and horrible to an unimaginable point.

* * *

After that day, Fuji changed. From being a very nice person, he became bitter and hard (A/N: Yeah, Fuji is a tad bit OOC here…) - but no one could tell from the outside. And he also became utterly disgusted by women. They only came to him for his fortune or to use his name for their profit. Because of them, Fuji had built a wall around himself, a wall to keep all the money hunter women from getting near him. His vision of the woman was stained. For him, all the girls outside of his family were only false living and unworthy creatures.

But Echizen Ryoma managed to destroy his wall.

Even after knowing that Yuuta was a Fuji - and Fuji Syuusuke's younger brother nonetheless! -, Echizen Ryoma didn't change her attitude in the way Fuji thought it would happen. She didn't try to use Yuuta to get closer to him. In her head, seeing Fuji Syuusuke everyday during practice was already too much. There was one time Fuji had overheard her telling Yuuta that one (sadistic) Fuji per school was enough. Two, it was the end of the world.

_'Huhuhuhu!'_ Fuji chuckled at the memory.

Because she became wary of him, the Fuji number 2 of the school, Yuuta had to take over a week to convince her that even if he was a Fuji, he wasn't a sadist like his brother. She only accepted to believe him after that he brought her a cake from the best pastry of Tokyo. (Yuuta was very thankful to Yanagi and to Inui for providing him the tip of the cake!)

_'Who would have thought that there is one girl who wasn't impressed by the name of a Fuji?'_

* * *

Fuji hates lies, but it seemed that Echizen Ryoma wasn't a lie. She never pretended to be anything that she wasn't. She never hides to anyone that she likes to be left alone, even if her antisocial demeanour was very attractive to the regulars. She wasn't a pretty, graceful and well mannered young lady and she never pretended to be a pretty, graceful and well mannered young lady. Usually, this kind of behaviours was badly condemned at Seiyou Academy. But coming from Echizen Ryoma…

_'_…_It is not such a bad thing after all…'_

Actually, it was funny to watch her clumsiness and lack of manners and way-to-be of a lady. She made everybody laugh. And Fuji himself too. In his world, laughing and truly enjoying oneself with nothing was a luxury his friends and he couldn't afford, but Echizen Ryoma brought them all these good things for nothing in return. Fuji also discovered that laughing made him feel relaxed. It relieved from his stress, the burden he carried felt lighter. Watching Echizen Ryoma being her own failure of a true young lady was a refreshment to fight against a heavy mood. After laughing to their heat content at her clumsiness, the boys felt relieved - freed - from their stress and burden. They felt happy, even if some times (more likely many times!) she wanted to send them a ball in their face for laughing at her, which they often did too.

_'Maybe Echizen Ryoma wasn't such a bad girl'_, Fuji's good conscience once told him.

* * *

Fuji closed his eyes, stopped thinking momentarily.

He had to face the truth. His defiance toward Echizen Ryoma was ridiculous and insignificant. It had to be stopped. In this battle of refusal to accept her, Fuji lost the fight. Fuji Syuusuke had lost a fight against Echizen Ryoma. He had been too arrogant and blind to the truth in front of him.

After that Kikumaru and Kirihara had chosen her over him, Fuji thought that Echizen Ryoma was his doom fall. Why did he worry so much about loosing his influence on Kirihara and Kikumaru? "It wasn't like it was very important to him", so he told himself. But he had to face the truth. It was very important. Because she disrupted the peaceful world he built around himself. She was a menace to the harmonious and perfect world he lived in.

_'And you made me doubt about myself.'_

His best friend Kikumaru Eiji had defended her against himself. Kirihara Akaya, who had always listened to him, now turned to her. Yukimura Seiichi had taken her under his protective wings. Yuuta, who hated him, spoke to him again after that he met her. And Touga and Sora, who never trusted anyone outside of the family, had immediately taken a liking to her when they had barely met her.

_'You made me doubt about the rightness of my __judgement and my discernment of people.'_

She broke all his wall of defiance. She disturbed his harmony. She changed the people around her.

_'And you changed me too…'_

When he saw her going outside to cry alone, he went after her with the intention to cheer her up. At first, he did it only because he didn't want Tezuka to be dropped from the regulars. But he couldn't believe that his actions carried him further more than what he had previously intended. He took her on his lap and let her to cry in his chest. Fuji never intended to do that. But it was as if his hands had a will of their own, a will different from Fuji's own will. And when she fell sick, he clearly saw how much she was dear to the regular boys. He knew the regulars had adopted her as their little sister, but he never thoroughly measured how deep was their caring feeling was for her. Kirihara almost cried because he thought it was because of him that she fell sick.

From the beginning, Fuji wanted to keep her away from the regulars. He wanted to block her influence over the regulars so that the friendship between the regulars and her wouldn't grow too strong. But he failed. He lost against her. He lost this battle of power against her. He had fall from his throne.

Could it be that on the first day, he was mean to her because he had the intuition that she would cause his loss? That she was a threat to him? Probably yes. And today, he had the answer to his intuition. She really became a threat to him: she had destroyed everything, she disrupted the perfect and harmonious world he built, she crushed his wall of self-preservation and the ugly vision he had about the world and the women. She won the fight against Fuji Syuusuke.

* * *

Fuji opened his eyes.

_'You turn the perfect world I built everyday of my life upside down…'_

And now, Fuji realized that he also lost another battle against her, a battle he didn't even know that he got caught in. How did he got caught it? What had thrown him in? When did it start? How come he didn't see that he was already in the fight? But when he now that he realized the existence that fight, it was too late for him. He already lost the battle. It was already too late for him to run away. He had already fallen too deep in the trap, to the no-returning point.

And she won this fight too. She won against him. She won against Fuji Syuusuke.

Fuji gently caressed her cheek.

_'Echizen Ryoma…'_

He marvelled at how soft he skin felt under his fingers.

Fuji didn't want to fall. He had never wanted to fall for her. But he had fallen. And he had fallen very hard…

_'I've fallen for you…'_

How did he fall for her? When did he fall?

Was it because she was the first person who ever dare to stand against him? Was it because she wasn't scared of saying what she truly thought about him? Was it because she wasn't scare to say that he was a jerk in front of everybody when he was a jerk in front of everybody? Was it because she was the really first person who saw him as a person with defaults and qualities and not as the perfect Fuji Syuusuke, heir of the Fuji Corporation Group?

Fuji couldn't answer to any of these questions. All he knew was that what was done was done. He couldn't erase everything she did to him up to today and pretended that nothing had happened. The seed in his heart had deeply rooted and it had already blossomed.

_'I've fall__en in love for you… __Ryoma…'_

* * *

Ryoma stirred.

"Wa… wa…" Ryoma pleaded in her sleep. "Wa-water…"

Fuji snapped our of his thinking.

"Water… Water…"

Fuji looked around for water. He saw a carafe of water on the table. He poured a glass and made her drink. But the water overflowed. Fuji immediately put the glass away. He took the towel on her forehead and cleaned her. Ryoma bite her lips, frustrated. She wanted more water. She was still thirsty and the little water Fuji gave her wasn't enough to quench her thirst. With his left hand, Fuji gently lifted her head up. He took again the glass of water with the right hand and brought it to her lips. Ryoma was so happy to have more water that this time, she took a too much water in one gulp. She choked and coughed. Some water overflowed and ran down along her jaw, wetting her shirt. Fuji put the glass away and cleaned her again.

He frowned. Feeding her by the glass was really a bad idea. At this rate, she would be soaking wet because she couldn't properly drink. Fuji thought again.

_'There is another way… But…_'

Ryoma grimaced and gulped down her saliva, trying to help her dried throat. Seeing her painful face, Fuji made a decision. He took back the glass and drank in it without swallowing the liquid. He put the glass away, used his right hand to hold open Ryoma's jaw and…

He stopped, hesitating a moment.

"Wa-water… Water…"

Fuji's hesitation broke. He closed his eyes…

And slowly…

…Slowly, he ascended his lips on hers…

Time froze.

The full moon shone through the window, enveloping two people in its magic: a young man holding preciously a young sleeping girl in his arms. The young man's red string of fate appeared. It searched for the string of the immobilized young girl in its possessor's hold. It found it. It entwists itself with the girl's string. That night, under the spell of the wind, two young souls were bound by the magical and blessing light of the moon.


	41. Ganbatte Ryoma, for Tezuka!

"WHAT DID YOU SAID?!?" Ryoma burst, interrupting the conversation between Ooishi and Kikumaru.

"Ochibi! You were there!!!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

Ryoma forgot to take something and returned back. That was when she overheard them talking about what happened between Tezuka and Sakaki-coach concerning her. Ryoma ran to Kikumaru and Ooishi.

"Why?!? Why didn't you tell me that before!?" she shouted. Kikumaru and Ooishi became sad. They couldn't answer to her. "Tell me!!!" Ryoma shouted again.

"Ochibi-chan, we…"

"What is happening here?" someone asked. They turned their head to see Tezuka walking to them with Yukimura and Atobe. When Ryoma set her eyes on Tezuka, she was ran to him, standing in front of him. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Tezuka-buchou… Why…?"

"Hum? What is it, Echizen?" Tezuka asked, not understanding her question. Ryoma bite her lips and clenched her fists.

"I'm not going to let that happen!" she shouted and ran away.

"Echizen!" Ooishi called her.

"Ochibi, wait! Where are you going?!"

But Ryoma didn't stop nor did she looked at them.

"Ooishi, what happened?" Tezuka asked. Ooishi looked at Tezuka, sad.

"Echizen overheard us talking…" Ooishi didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he meant.

* * *

Ryoma ran in front of her, not caring about the tears blinding her. Then, she saw him, Sakaki-coach, talking with someone.

"Sakaki-coach!" Ryoma ran to him. "Sakaki-coach!" Sakaki-coach turned to see Ryoma running to him. Seeing her tears, he asked her.

"What is it Echizen?" She went straight to him, griping his suit.

"Sakaki-coach, I don't care if I'm no longer a regular, but you cannot drop Tezuka-buchou!" she burst.

"What?! Echizen, how did you…"

"Please Sakaki-coach, I will do everything you want, but don't drop Tezuka-buchou! He doesn't deserve it! Please, I beg you!" Ryoma cried harder.

"Echizen, stop it now. It…"

"Sakaki-coach, please!" Ryoma interrupted him again.

"Sakaki-coach, we have to leave now," the person with whom Sakaki-coach was talking said. "We will be late."

"Wait, Sakaki-coach, I-…!"

"Echizen, I must go now," Sakaki-coach said.

Ryoma froze. Then, slowly, she released him.

"I have to leave for a week for business. We will talk again after my return," Sakaki-coach said, then left.

* * *

They just returned from the training camp. Ryoma had wondered why everyone's mood was so heavy during the bus ride, especially when they looked at Tezuka. But now, she knew the reason. Sakaki-coach hadn't yet announce anything, but Ryoma knew that she already failed the trial. Probably Sakaki-coach preferred to wait until they were alone to tell her his final decision. But he didn't need to announce it since everybody already know what he would said.

Alone in a retreat corner, Ryoma dropped on her knees, head down. She was angry at herself.

_'I'm so stupid!' _She hated herself. She failed. She failed her trial. She lost her chance to achieve her goal to win against her father. But right now, winning against her father was the last of her worry. Right now, the most important thing for her was Tezuka.

_'I failed to buchou!' _She cried.

_'I failed to Tezuka-buchou's hope in me!'_ She cried harder.

* * *

From the moment she joined Seigaku, Tezuka Kunimitsu had always watched over her. She was like a raw diamond among the boys. She had very great potential, but was unaware of it. Tezuka saw her potential. Everyday, he patiently polished that raw diamond bit by bit - by assigning her laps and various hard training. Of course Ryoma never liked being assigned laps, but she knew that she became better. Not only Tezuka polished her skills, but he also ignite her desire to become stronger everyday, and not only to beat her father. He taught her to aim for a live-long goal and not only short time aim.

But now, because of her, Tezuka would be…

_'No! I cannot allow it to happen! I don't care if I fail. If I have to leave the regulars, then I will. But Tezuka-buchou cannot be dropped because of me!'_

She raised her again, a determined fire in her eyes. She stood up again and went off.

* * *

She saw Niou and Marui walking in front of her. She ran straight to them.

"Niou-senpai!" she called.

"Huh?" Niou and Marui stopped and turned their head to see her running to them.

"Niou-senpai, wait!" Ryoma called again. Niou and Marui turned around on their feet to face her.

"Echizen-chan, what is it?" Niou asked. Ryoma stopped in front of them, panting.

"Niou-senpai… Ha… Ha… Ha… Pl-… Pl-…" She bite her lips. It was so not like her to do this, but she didn't have a choice. "Pl-… Pl-… Please…"

"What?" Niou asked.

Even knowing that she was dropped from the regulars, Ryoma refused to let herself be down. She won't let Tezuka-buchou be dropped without doing anything.

"Niou-senpai, please help me!" she burst. Niou and Marui back off a step.

_'Echizen… Ryoma… That pride girl… __She… She… She is… She is asking… She is asking… help_…_ She is **A-S-K-I-N-G** __for help!!! It's daylight, right? I'm not dreaming, right? Or hearing thing, right? Please, someone tell me!!!'_

"Please, help me!" Ryoma shouted again.

_'Ah!' _Marui and Niou jumped and skipped another step back. _'No, I'm not hearing thing! __She is actually asking for help!'_

"Please, senpai! Help me!" Ryoma pleaded, looking exactingly to Niou. Niou watched her desperate expression, frowning.

_'Something very serious must be happening to her,' _Niou thought. He looked Ryoma in her eyes. She was really desperate, but there was a burning fire of determination burning inside. She wasn't giving up herself to something.

"What is it, Echizen-chan? What do you want from me?" Niou simply said.

* * *

Night time. In a tennis court.

Ryoma and Niou, dressed in sport clothes, faced each other over the net, their racket in their hands.

"Echizen-chan, are you really aware of what you're asking from me?" Niou asked her in a very serious mode.

Ryoma didn't answer yet. She looked straight to the senpai on the other side of the net. She remembered her conversation with Yanagi and Inui.

* * *

Flashback

"Niou's play style?" Yanagi asked.

"Hai, tell me more about his play style and how do you face him?" Ryoma said.

Yanagi and Inui looked to each other, dumbfounded by her request. Then, they looked at her in silence, examining her. After a moment, Inui spoke.

"Niou has the ability to exactely copy anyone he had once met, in appearance, play style and techniques. That's why he is called Rikkaidai's Trickster. When his opponents saw him becoming an exact copy of themselves, they will be psychologically disturbed and scared. Not only Niou could be an exact copy of them, but sometime, he is even better than the original. The most frightening part of his play style, it's that he can show out where the original is weak or what he lacks. And he attacks on these weaknesses. Niou's main attack technique is using your most terrible fear against you," Inui said.

"Unless you has a very strong and stable mind and personality, you cannot face Niou without getting highly disturbed. Most of the time, his opponents lose to him because they are psychologically weak," Yanagi said.

End flashback

* * *

_'Unless you has a very strong and stable mind and personality, you cannot face Niou without getting highly disturbed.'_

Ryoma bite her lips. She knew she wasn't ready to face _them_ yet again, but…

_'I don't have the choice. It's the only way I can think about… I have to do it… for Tezuka-buchou!'_

The fire in her eyes burned up again.

* * *

On the other side of the court, Niou watched her.

_'To think that she asked me to do this…' _He pierced her with his glare, seeing through inside her soul.

_'She is still frightened… She __is fully aware that she is not ready to face them now. Yet, she asked me to do it…'_

Ryoma had asked him to play against her under the disguise of one of the German players. The worst, she asked him to imitate the one she feared the most: the bony face guy named Wolfang. She knew he saw the game of the German boy on the videos Sakaki-coach provided them, so he must know all the techniques of the German boy. The meetings they had with Yanagi and Inui must had also deepen his understanding of the German's play style. For Niou to copy Wolfang wasn't a problem at all for him.

"Echizen-chan, you know that I'm not going to hold back on you. Do you?" Niou said.

"I don't want you to hold back on me!" Ryoma replied.

* * *

Marui watched the game between Niou and Ryoma, frowning. Ryoma just dropped on her knees again, froze by fear. And that happened each time Wolfang-Niou smiled his wolf grin.

_'It's the fourth time that she freezes. Will she be really alright?' _Marui wondered.

"And I wondered why she asked us about Niou's play style," a voice said behind Marui. Marui turned around to see two people coming out from the shadow.

"Yanagi, Inui," Marui said.

"It bugged me all the afternoon, so I decide to see for myself the reason why she wanted to know about Niou's play style," Yanagi continued, his eyes on Ryoma. "I can't believe that I would see _this_!"

-

"Hyaaaaaaaaah!" Wolfang-Niou marked again. Ryoma froze and dropped on her knees.

"Hahahahaha!" Wolfang-Niou laughed evilly.

_'Ahh…'_ Ryoma innerly whimpered. She had the impression that a cold iron hand just crushed her heart.

-

"Echizen-chan…" Marui whispered.

"It looks very tough on her," another voice said. Marui turned again his head this time to see Yagyuu, Oshitari and Ootori. It was Oshitari who talked.

"Ah! Oshitari, Yagyuu, Ootori! You guys are here too?" Marui said. They didn't answer, but all their eyes were fixed on Ryoma.

* * *

It had been a hour since they watched Ryoma and Niou played. The spectators watched their game in silence. Again, Ryoma froze again and Wolfang-Niou marked. She dropped on her knees. Ootori clenched his fist, his eyes fixed on Ryoma. She was shaking madly and her eyes were unfocused.

"I… I cannot see her like this anymore…" Ootori said. "I have to stop her!" He was going to push the door of the tennis court when a hand stopped him.

"Ootori, don't!" Yagyuu said.

"But…" Ootori tried to protest.

"Look at her," Yagyuu continued. Ootori reverted his attention to Ryoma's face. Ryoma closed her eyes, shaking her head to clear out the the fog of fear, which was blurring her vision. She looked up at Wolfang-Niou again, fire ignited back in her eyes. She gripped harder her racket and stood up. "She still wants to continue," Yagyuu finished.

"Echizen-chan is fully aware of what is happening to her," Inui said. "Let her decide when she wants to stop."

"She needs to go through this if she really want to become stronger," Oshitari said. Ootori bite his lips, but didn't move. They were right. Even if he was worried, he had no right to interfere. Ryoma was the only who could decide what she wanted.

_'Echizen-chan…'_ Ootori thought. He watched her. Ryoma slightly stumbled on her legs, but immediately got hold of herself. She took the stand of the receiver, waiting for Wolfgang-Niou's next ball. Ootori closed his eyes and nodded.

"Hai…" Ootori said. Whatever she would decide, he would respect her decision. They turned their eyes on the court again, watching Ryoma in silence.

* * *

After three hours.

Ryoma froze again and dropped on her knees.

"Ha…! Ha…! Ha…!" she panted. But this time, Niou saw that her eyes didn't lose focus like the other times. It was the first time she didn't lose her focus from the moment they stepped in the court. On the other hand, she was very tired now. She was sweating and her clothes were damped. Niou reverted back to his normal appearance and walked to her.

"Niou-senpai… Ha…! Ha…! Ha…! Mou ichido… Ha…! Ha…! Ha…! Onegai shimasu (1)!" Ryoma said between her pants. Niou kneeled in front of her, shaking his head.

"No! That's enought…" he said.

"But-…!" she protested.

"…for tonight," Niou finished.

"Ah…?!"

Niou put a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand you want to continue this, but have more consideration for your body," he said. "It's very late now. Your body needs to relax and rest. And so you do." Ryoma kept silence. "Let's do it again tomorrow after school, okay?" Niou added.

"Ah…" she hesitated. He smiled nicely to her. Ryoma bite her bottom lip, chewing it. Nonetheless, she accepted. "Hai…" Niou smiled again and patted her head.

"That's a good girl!" he said.

The others boys entered the court. Ryoma turned her head when she heard the door of the fence opening.

"Senpai-tachi, since when you were here?" Ryoma said.

"It's been quite a while now, Echizen-chan," Oshitari said. Ryoma stood up, but stumbled on her legs.

"Waaahhh!"

"Aaah!" Marui and Ootori caught her by her arms before she fell.

"It's a good thing Niou decided to stop now, Echizen-chan. You can barely stand on your legs!" Yanagi said. Ryoma closed her eyes, releasing a long sigh of exhaustion.

"Come on. We will bring you home now," Marui said, smiling.

"Hai…" Ryoma obediently said.

On the way to her house, Ryoma was so tired that she fell asleep. Marui took her on his back and gave her a piggy-ride to her house while Ootori and Niou carried her things for her.

* * *

1) Niou-senpai, mou ichido, onegai shimasu!: "Niou-senpai, one more time, please!"


	42. Ryoma vs Sanada: Awakening

A/N: Special treat for Easter. Here chapter 42. Happy Easter!

* * *

Note:

"Where are you bringing me to?": normal speaking.

_"Is that all you can do?"_: speaking in German.

* * *

From last time…

Ryoma froze again and dropped on her knees, panting. But this time, Niou saw that her eyes didn't lose focus like the other times. It was the first time she didn't lose her focus from the moment they stepped in the court. On the other hand, she was very tired now. She was sweating and her clothes were damped. Niou reverted back to his normal appearance and walked to her.

"Niou-senpai… Mou ichido… Onegai shimasu!" Ryoma said between her pants.

Niou kneeled in front of her, shaking his head.

"No! That's enought for tonight," he said. "I understand you want to continue this, but have more consideration for your body," he said. "It's very late now. Your body needs to relax and rest. And so you do."

"Come on. We will bring you home now," Marui said, smiling.

"Hai…" Ryoma obediently said.

On the way to her house, Ryoma was so tired that she fell asleep. Marui took her on his back and gave her a piggy-ride to her house while Ootori and Niou carried her things for her.

* * *

"Where are you bringing me to, Atobe?" Sakaki-coach asked.

They were in Atobe's private Benz. Sakaki-coach just returned back from his business trip when Atobe came to meet him. Atobe wanted to show him something.

"We will be there soon," Atobe only said.

The car stopped at the entrance of the of public park. Kabaji opened the door for Atobe and Sakaki-coach. They walked in the park, Atobe leading the way. Atobe guided Sakaki-coach to a tennis court, where Sakaki-coach saw some regulars gathered. They were watching the two people inside the court, Niou and Ryoma. But what surprised Sakaki-coach was Niou, disguised as one of the German players.

"During the whole week, everyday, Echizen has been practicing with Niou very early in the morning before school, and until very late at night after school," Atobe said.

* * *

Inside the court.

Wolfang-Niou marked a point.

_"Hahahahaha! Is that all you can do, weakling? You are dead now! Hahahahaha!"_ Wolfang-Niou laughed maniacally, sending cold shivers down Ryoma's spine.

Ryoma bite her lips because of the stab of fear in her heart.

"Arrrrrrrrrgggggggggggh!" Ryoma growled. She refused to give up. She picked up a ball and served. " Hiyaaaaaaaaaah!"

Outside the court.

The gathered regulars watched them played.

"She made a lot of progresses. She no longer freezes like at the begining fo the week," Inui said.

"But she is still scared each time Wolfang-Niou grinned like a wolf," Shishido said. Kirihara gripped harder the railing of the tennis court. He knew he must not run inside and stopped Ryoma.

* * *

Back to Sakaki-coach and Atobe.

"Echizen knows very well that she is no longer a regular, yet she still continues to practice very hard every day, even harder than all of us put together. She is not doing this for her, but only for Tezuka," Atobe said.

Sakaki-coach saw Tezuka and Yukimura standing under a three, retreated from the others.

Yukimura and Tezuka were watching Ryoma. Yukimura smiled.

"You have such an adorable kouhai, Tezuka," Yukimura said. "She works so hard just for you."

Tezuka didn't say anything (but he had a tiny, tiny, tiny smile on the corner of his lips).

"Echizen refuses the idea that Tezuka will be dropped out because of her," Atobe continued. "Sakaki-coach, can you reconsider your decision about Tezuka?"

"Atobe, are you aware of what you're asking me?" Sakaki-coach said.

"Yes, I am aware. I'm also showing a weakness, like Tezuka did," Atobe answered. "However, Sakaki-coach, I believe that showing support for a person who deserves it isn't a weakness."

Sakaki-coach didn't say anything. He watched Ryoma and Tezuka a last time. After a second, without saying a word, he turned on his heels and left.

* * *

The next day.

People were cheering for Ryoma and Sanada. It was a match between Ryoma and Sanada. Without explaining why, Sakaki-coach had called for a match between them. But for whatever reason it was, Ryoma would give everything she had in this last match, which was likely her last one in Seiyou tennis club. She played all her might against Sanada. And Rikkaida's Emperor wasn't holding back either. She gave everything she had. For everyone. For all the regulars who took so good care of her since she stepped in the tennis club. And for Tezuka.

"Hiyaaaaaah!" Ryoma served.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sanada responded.

_'To think that she actually corned me to use my to use my Invisible Serve,'_ Sanada thought.

Sanada never used any of his techniques unless he needed to do it. But if he didn't use his Invisible Swing, he wouldn't be able to take the three first games against her. The Invisible Swing was made so the opponent couldn't see the path of the ball, thus not be able to return it. But Ryoma's eyes got used to the speed of the ball because of her incredible sense of observation, which was the same as Kikumaru Eiji. However, watching his Invisible Swing tired her eyes. To reply back to his Invisible Swing, she closed her eyes and used only her ears to heard the sound of the ball. She won the next games. Sanada had no choice to unveil his Invisible Serve, which was faster than his Invisible Swing. Ryoma was driven in pinch.

_'Echizen, you are truely a talented player__. Even against me, you were able to go this far__,' _Sanada thought. _'I highly respect you for your talent and your hard work. For these reasons, I will play seriously against you!'_

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sanada marked.

"5-3. Sanada," the referee called.

Ryoma clenched her teeth. This time, she was seriously driven in pinch. Only one point for Sanada and it would be her lose. It had been only thirty minutes that they played, but Ryoma already felt her body exhausted. Because she hit too many Cyclone Smashes in row, her muscles were sore now. But it was the only way she found to counter Sanada's Invisible Swing. She had been too reckless. But now that Sanada used his Invisible Serve, she no longer know how to face it. Panic was starting to take hold of her.

Sanada served. He marked.

"15-love."

_'At this rate, I will lose,' _Ryoma thought. _'I have to find a way!'_

_Ba-bump_… Her heart beat, resonating strongly in her chest.

"30-love. Sanada."

_'I won't let him win!'_ A cold sweat ran down her neck.

_Ba-bump_…_! Ba-bump_…_! _Her heart echoed again.

Ryoma returned Sanada's ball.

_'I must win this game!' _She clenched her teeth.

_Ba-bump__!_

"40-love."

Only one ball left to decide either her lose or Sanada's victory.

_'It's not true that everything will end here!' _

Sanada hit.

_Ba-bump__!_ _Ba-bump__!_

_'I must win this game!' _

Send back.

_Ba-bummmm_…

_'For Tezuka-buchou, I must_…_' _

_Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump!  
_

Hit. Return. Hit.

_'And for me!' _

_**BUMP!**_

_'Ah_…_!'_ Ryoma's heart stop beating, her mind blanked.

Silence.

_'. . .'_

She lose consciousness.

* * *

"7-5. Game and match! Echizen Ryoma!" the referee called.

Ryoma snapped. She woke up, her consciousness back.

"?"

Every thing was silence around her. They all looked at her, speechless.

_'Huh? What happened?'_ she wondered, blinking.

She looked to the right, then to the left. She was still on the tennis court. It was normal, right? Since she was playing a game. But what was strange, everyone was watching her, no one making a sound. And they were gasping like fish out of the water.

"Huh? What? What?" Ryoma spoke, turning her head right to left.

She saw Sanada looking straight at her, eyes wide. He wasn't in a defense nor in attack mode.

_'But what about the game?'_ Ryoma wondered.

As for Sanada, he couldn't believe it what happened. He lose. It was the first time that he lost. And he lost to a female freshman.

_'She… She…'_ Sanada thought. _'She unlocks…'_

Ryoma blinked again, staring strangely at Sanada.

"Sanada-senpai, why do you stop playing? What happened? What about the game?" she asked.

"Ochibi-chan, you're finally back to normal," Kikumaru said, his hands on his hips. "The game is already over."

"Huh? What? The game is finished? But how?" Ryoma repeated. They stared blankly at her.

"She wasn't aware of it," Oshitari said.

Yukimura stood up from his bench. He uncrossed his arms and walked to her. He stopped in front of her, frowning. He looked down on her.

"Yukimura-senpai?"

Yukimura bend down and looked in her eyes, still not saying anything.

"Huh? Yukimura-senpai? What is it?"

Ryome frowned, but didn't avert her eyes away from Yukimura's. Maybe interrogation marks popped around her head. After many minutes of silence, Yukimura slowly straightened up.

"You reach it, Echizen-chan," Yukimura calmly said.

"Huh? What?" More interrogation marks appeared.

"Mu… Mu…" Sanada stuttered.

"Mu… Muga no… Kyouchi…" Sakaki-coach too stuttered, his orbs trembling.

"She… She unlocks… Muga no… Kyouchi… door_…_" Sanada said.

"Eh? Mugi what? What's that?" Ryoma asked.

"Not Mugi. Muga no Kyouchi, Echizen-chan. Muga no Kyouchi, the state of Self Actualization," Yukimura said. "You reach it, Echizen-chan. You open the door of Muga no Kyouchi," Yukimura simply said.

"Hah?" Ryoma really didn't understand anything.

"It looks like she was unconscious when she open the door of Muga no Kyouchi," Inui said, scribbling in his notebook.

"Ah!" But something was still present in Ryoma's mind. "The game! What about the game? Who wins?"

". . ." No one answered her. _'She won but didn't realize it,'_ they thought.

"She _**was**_ unconscious," Yanagi stated, confirming Inui.

* * *

Ryoma was standing in front of Sakaki-coach. Sakaki-coach, arms crossed, looked down on her. Everybody watched the in silence. No one made a sound. The atmosphere was very tense and heavy.

"Sakaki-coach, I know I'm no longer a regular and I'm fine with that," Ryoma said. "But can you please let Tezuka-buchou continue to be buchou, please?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Sakaki-coach looked sternly down at her. Everyone became very anxious. Sakaki-coach still kept silence, not saying anything. Ryoma charged again.

"The condition you stated was that I become stronger, right? I am stronger now compare to before the training camp. Thus, I fill the condition. So, can you not drop Tezuka-buchou, please?"

Sakaki-coach still kept silence, not moving a muscle. Ryoma was panicking now. It seemed to her that Sakaki-coach wouldn't change his mind.

"Sakaki-coach, Tezuka-buchou is a very good captain. Everyone knows it! Rikkaidai's and Hiyotei's people too know it! And you too, you certainly know it more than everybody! You know how much Seigaku became stronger with Tezuka-buchou leading the team! Not only he is a good captain, but he is also a good team mate! Under Tezuka-buchou, me too, I got stronger even if I'm far as strong as everyone! Tezuka-buchou…"

* * *

While Ryoma continued to argue for Tezuka, the other boys watched her, in shock.

"Ochibi-chan…" Kikumaru said, his sad eyes fixed on Ryoma.

"It's the first time I see Ryoma talking so long and so much…" Yuuta said. "And so desperately too…"

"Me too, it's the first time for me…" Marui said. "Usually, she never say more two sentences aligned one after the other… And usually, her sentences are short. Nothing long like this…"

"She is so desperated…" Ootori said. "She should be arguing to defend herself in this situation. Not for Tezuka! But I feel all moved by her devotion for Tezuka!"

_'Ryoma-chan…' _Fuji watched her. Seeing her be like this disturbed his heart. He tensed himself so he won't run to her.

"Even knowing that she was dropped, she still wanted to save Tezuka. She sincerely didn't want him to be punished because of her. She lowed her pride and asked my help. And she even came to confront her fear face to face. Just for Tezuka. That was the reason why was I accepted to train her every morning and every night," Niou said.

"Tezuka sure has a very good underline. If I were a captain and Echizen-chan as my team mate, I would feel very proud and happy to have her in my team," Shishido said.

"Every captain would feel the same thing if they have such a caring kouhai," Gakuto said.

"To tell the truth, I feel jealous of Tezuka," Atobe said. "He can bring his kouhai to care and to worship him to this point."

". . ." Kabaji didn't say anything.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryoma didn't stop talking, arguing solely for Tezuka.

"Sakaki-coach, you also aim for Seiyou's third victory of the National, right?" Ryoma said. "You must be! With Tezuka-buchou, you will have the third National! He is the pillar of Seiyou right?"

"Echizen, that's enough," Tezuka said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What is done is done. I don't have any regret-…!"

Ryoma cut him.

"No, Tezuka-buchou! I cannot let you be punished because of me!" Ryoma shouted.

"Echizen…" Tezuka trailed.

Ryoma turned her attention back to Sakaki-coach.

"Sakaki-coach, I know I am still weak to you. I understand your reason for dropping me. But you cannot do that to Tezuka-buchou! He doesn't deserve it! Please, Sakaki-coach, please don't punish Tezuka-buchou because of me! Please, let Tezuka-buchou be continue to be Tezuka-buchou! I will do whatever you want! I will-…!"

"Echizen, what makes you think that you are dropped from the regulars?" Sakaki-coach cut her infinite arguing speech for Tezuka. She would likely continue like this if he didn't say anything.

"Eh?" everybody said, including Ryoma.

Everyone was confused. What did Sakaki-coach mean? Ryoma was dropped from the regulars, and everyone knew it. But Sakaki-coach's last line confused them. No one understood anything.

"Wha-what do you mean…?" Ryoma asked, unsure.

"Indeed, you only had three day to prove yourself to me, but I left the training camp on the second day. I couldn't make a final decision with one day missed. It was true that when I returned for the third day of observation, you didn't fulfill what I wanted from you. As a matter of fact, I had decided to drop you out from the regulars on that day. However, something else happened, something which was beyond my expectations."

* * *

Flashback

Sakaki-coach watched Kirihara, sat on Ryoma's bed, at her feet. Kirihara looked at Ryoma with a worried expression on his face. Yukimura came to him put a hand on his shoulder. Kirihara looked up to him.

"Buchou…" Kirihara trailed sadly. Yukimura smiled to him.

"She will recover soon. May-san said so. Don't worry," Yukimura said. Kirihara didn't respond black, but turned his eyes to Ryoma again. Yukimura's eyes softened.

_'He changed a lot,' _Yukimura thought. He looked at Ryoma too. _'Kirihara must be thinking 'If I didn't_ _fell sick and spread it to everybody, then she wouldn't be sick too.'_'

_'Kirihara, who never cares about anyone who was sick or hurt, is worried about her. This is a first time,' _Sakaki-coach thought.

End flashback

* * *

"A strong team doesn't depend only on very skilled and talented players, but also on the bond between its members," Sakaki-coach said. "I don't know how you did it, but it seems that thanks to you, they learned to care for each other and make their bond be stronger. Even Atobe came to me to argue in your favor."

". . ." Ryoma didn't say anything. She let him continued.

"It is true that you became stronger and you are not scare to face your own fear, but you took more than three days. Exceptionally, I will overlook it this time…"

Ryoma's heart skipped, in hope and in fear. Did Sakaki-coach mean that she…?

"You may stay in the team as a regular," Sakaki-coach finished.

Ryoma's heart skipped again, but from joy this time. But, she was still not sure that she heard the right thing. Maybe she was dreaming! She would ask him again to be sure.

"For… For re-…! Gaggggg!" Ryoma got cut because of three heavy weights piled up on her back.

"FOR REAL!" Kirihara, Ootori and Kikumaru shouted, stealing her line. They were the one piled up on her back.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoma stumbled on the ground because of the heavy boys on her small little body.

"That's so cool, Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru squealed and caught her in his arms, suffocating her in his death-glomp.

"Oupffffffff!" Ryoma turned white.

"You're staying! You're staying!" Kirihara chanted, choking her in his arms too.

"Ommmmmph!" She turned blue.

"You did it, Echizen!" Ootori rudely hit her back.

"Ouuutch!" Ryoma yelped.

Marui and Niou crouched down in front of Ryoma, who was completely squished by Kikumaru and Kirihara. They smiled at her. Niou patted her head.

"You did a good job, Echizen-chan," Niou said.

"I'll treat what you want after school!" Marui told.

"Arigatou, senpai-tachi!" Ryoma said, smiling too. "Ugggggggh!" Kirihara tightened his hold on her out of excitement.

"Hey! I wanna a treat too!" Kirihara said.

"Me too! Me too!" Kikumaru added.

"Hey! I don't want to be left alone!" Ootori said.

"Hey! Can I join in too?" Momoshiro asked.

"No, you won't! I'm not inviting you! You guys didn't do anything, so you don't deserve anything!" Marui said.

"Hey! No fair!" Kirihara, Kikumaru, Ootori and Momoshiro protested.

Everyone looked at the four of them, laughing. They felt very happy for Ryoma. It was a very good thing that she was still _their _favorite female kouhai regular. However, Ryoma wasn't thinking about her staying a regular or not. Something more important hold her attention.

"Tezuka-buchou… And Tezuka-buchou…?" she said, looking up to Sakaki-coach through the gap between Kikumaru's and Kirihara's arms.

Sakaki-coach nodded.

"Tezuka is still Seigaku's buchou," Sakaki-coach said.

Ryoma grew a smile, a wide shinning smile. Now, she had a good reason to be happy.

"Arigatou, Sakaki-coach!" she beamed.

_'She worried more about Tezuka than about herself,' _Sakaki-coach thought. He looked at Tezuka, who was smiling a little bit as he watched Ryoma. _'You are sure an exceptional buchou, Tezuka. In such a short time, you made your kouhai hold such a fervent worship for you.'_

Tezuka walked to Ryoma. She untangled herself from Kikumrau's and Kirihara's glomp and stood up in front of him.

"Tezuka-buchou…"

Tezuka looked down on her.

"You did very well, Echizen," he said.

"Arigatou, buchou!" she beamed.

Tezuka's lips graced a tiny smiled, but which was perceptible to everyone. Everybody became shock.

_'He smiles! That guy can smile! No way! I must be dreaming!'_ They looked more closely to Tezuka. It _WAS_ a smile. _'Ah! He is really smiling! I'm not dreaming!'_ Silence. _'_…_I need to see a psy after this!'_

But they hadn't finished to be surprised. This time, it was from Ryoma.

"Buchou!" she happily said. Tezuka-buchou praised her! He praised her! Ryoma felt wonderfully happy. And _Hop! _She hugged him, her arms around his waist. "Buchou!"

"Ah!/Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Everybody exclaimed out of shock, including Tezuka.

But two people weren't exclaiming from surprise. Niou and Marui hastily pulled Ryoma away from Tezuka. Niou covered her eyes with his two hand while Marui covered her ears.

"Ah? Hey! What are you doing? Let me go!" Ryoma protested, fighting to be released.

"No!" Niou and Marui only said. There was thing that she shouldn't see.

What?

This! Kirihara and Ootori.

Kirihara and Ootori stood in front of Tezuka, forming a wall between him and Ryoma. They grew into giants, red flames from Hell dancing around them. They looked down on the tiny Tezuka with red eyes, which were shooting laser beam.

"Te-zu-kaaaaa…" they trailed his name. "Why you… you… you… you old _pervert_! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

Tezuka sweat dropped, froze in front of the raging boys. Everybody knew very well that Ryoma only hugged him because she was simply happy. But… But… But… But Tezuka… Tezuka was… an _OLD_ man for god's sake!

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Kirihara and Ootori menacingly growled louder.

Sanada, Yagyuu and Ooishi sighed while Yuuta rubbed his forehead. Oshitari was amused and Yukimura was chuckling.

* * *

Yukimura smiled, looking at Ryoma. Then, he looked at Sakaki-coach.

"Sakaki-coach, you never had the intention to drop Echizen-chan," Yukimura simply said, smiling.

Sakaki-coach didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he turned to Yukimura, his face confirming Yukimura's statement.

"Yukimura, you are still very good at reading people," Sakaki-coach admitted.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" everybody exclaimed, gasping.

"Huhuhuhuhu!" Yukimura chuckled.

"Then why did he…?" Ooishi asked.

"Do you understand now, Tezuka?" Sakaki-coach said. "A weakness is what it takes for someone to evolve and to become stronger. Echizen, who has a pride and who is usually independent, she learn to rely on her team mates to help her recovering from her weakness. She admitted that she had a weakness and she came to Niou to ask him his help. Admitting that one has a weakness is the first step to become stronger. And she grew stronger. Tezuka, you should take her example. Right now, your elbow is your weakness, but you haven't admit it to yourself yet. But if you don't take care of your elbow now, your injury would get worse and worse. Stop burdening yourself with your responsibility because of your injury and learn to rely yourself on other people. Before you are a buchou, you are also a team mate for your team and a human. Take Echizen's example as a lesson and go to treat your elbow now. Even if you are not here to watch over your team, Yukimura and Atobe are here. They will help you. And Ooishi is here too. He will look over your team mates for you. Leave now to treat your elbow and come back with it recovered for the National Championship."

No one said anything anymore. And Tezuka was the most speechless one.

* * *

Flashback

During the meeting at the training camp when Ryoma learn who were the German against who they would play.

_'You did well Echizen, but…' _Sakaki-coach thought. He turned his eyes on Tezuka. '_…but did you realized _it_, Tezuka?_'

* * *

"So…" Momoshiro said.

"…does it mean…" Kikumaru said.

"… that Sakaki-coach…" Ooishi said.

"Sakaki-coach never had the intention to drop Echizen, but he only wanted to teach to Tezuka a valuable lesson through Echizen," Inui said.

They gathered themselves around Ryoma, congratulating her.

Sakaki-coach watched them.

_'She really bonded them together,' _he thought. He turned his eyes to Ryoma._'But to think that someone as young as her opens Muga no Kyouchi door… How far can she go in the future?'_

* * *

"Echizen-chan!" Yukimura shouted in panic. Ryoma fell in his arms, not moving.

"Aaaaaah! Echizen!"

"Ochibiiiiiii!"

"Echizen!"

"Echizen!"

"Someone call the ambulance!"

"It's not neccessary," Sanada stopped the panic.

"Huh?"

"She's only sleeping," Sanada said, pointing to Ryoma.

They all looked at her.

"Zzzz… Zzzzz… Zzzzz…"

Yukimura chuckled.

"Ah…" the boys said, dumbfounded.

"It must Muga no Kyouchi after effects. While Muga no Kyouchi drives out exceptional potentials, it also consummes a lot of energy. She must be exhausted," Yanagi said.

"And to think that I decided to reward her a treat," Marui said, smiling as he watched her sleeping face. "My invitation is waste."

"But knowing her, I don't think that she will forget about it, Marui," Niou said.

Yukimura chuckled again.

"We should bring her home so she can rest," he said.

"Kabaji," Atobe called.

"Usu!"

Kabaji walked to Yukimura. He took Ryoma from Yukimura's arms and brought her to the car.

"We should go too," Yukimura said to Tezuka. "We owe her parents some explanations."

"Ah," Tezuka answered.

* * *

Behind, Fuji watched them left with Atobe.

_'I felt ridiculous,'_ he thought.

When Ryoma hugged Tezuka, Fuji almost jumped to separate them if Niou and Marui didn't do it. Fuji had felt jealous. Jealous! He felt jealous of Tezuka Kunimitsu! That never happened before. He knew Ryoma's hugging was only from an innocent happiness, but still…

_'I need to cool down… From now on, I must be careful when I'm around her_…_'_


	43. A German and a bush: Shhhhh! Silence!

A/N: Answering stuff.

Someone asked me why did I write a Prince of Tennis fanfiction with Ryoma as a girl. For the answer, I got inspired after I read a fanfic of Ryoma as a girl. Actually, after two fanfics. It was "Switch", written by the Black Angel of Destruction, and "The Price of the Triple Counter", written by Saniwa. Probably some of you know my first PoT fanfiction, "Everything started from that day". I wrote that one after reading "Switch" and "The Price of the Triple Counter". I combined female Ryoma from "Switch" and the re-match with Fuji from "The Price of the Triple Counter". If you like to read "Switch" and "The Prince of the Triple Counter", you can find their links in my favorite stories.

Actually, "Switch" had first inspired my this fanfiction, "Seiyou Academy". But because I didn't have a solid plot, so I left it aside. I did "Everything started from that day" instead. After "Everything started from that day", I got new ideas for "Seiyou Acadmy" and took it over again. And that's how you're reading it now.

Now, enough chit-chat! Here's chapter 43 for you.

Enjoy!

* * *

Note:

"No. Even if you deserve it, you will not play." : normal speaking.

_"Can I speak to you?"_ : speaking in German.

* * *

The morning Seiyou tennis club had to face the Germans, Tezuka left for Germany to treat his elbow. Seigaku members, Yukimura and Atobe went with him to say him farewell. Tezuka would be going to a special clinic famous for tennis sport injuries. After that Tezuka's flight took off, they left for the meeting with the Germans.

Ryuuzaki-sensei was released from the hospital. The doctors told her to stay home and rest, but Ryuuzaki-sensei wanted to see their matches with the Germans. Ryoma deserved to play against the Germans, but she wasn't chosen. Kirihara would go at her place.

"No. Even if you deserve it, you will not play. You need to rest," Yanagi told her.

"You have been practicing too much this week. And you also just awake to Muga no Kyouchi. No matter what you say, your body needs to rest and to re-adjust its timing. So, you're not playing this time," Inui elaborated.

"Che…" Ryoma scowled.

"Hihihihi!" Kirihara snickered. "Don't worry, Echizen-chan. I'll win the game for you!" he said. Ryoma mumbled between her teeth.

"It's the best thing for you, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said, patting her head, chuckling.

"Humph!" she stubbornly scowled again. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru snickered again.

* * *

Ooishi and Kikumaru won Double 2 against the pink skin guy and the green bandanna guy. Angry that they lost the first game, the Germans played ruthlessly on the Double 1. Shishido hurt his shoulder and Ootori forfeited the game against the black guy and his partner the pink skin guy. Hiyoshi lost Single 3 against the brown hair guy. Kirihara played in Single 2. He was on the edge to lose again the bony face guy. When Kirihara changed court, Ryoma had called out to speak with him. When he stood in front of her, Ryoma grabbed him the neck of his shirt.

"If you let him kill you, I'll personally kill you with my own hands after!" she said to him in threatening voice.

Kirihara turned blue and ran to the other side of the court, sweating cold sweat. And of course, to avoid being killed by her later, Kirihara won the game. Fuji faced Alexander in Single 1. As expected from the son of a winner of the Grand Slam, Alexander Aden Krauser was also an exceptional tennis player. But Fuji Syuusuke was a tensai and Alexander didn't take a long time to understand it. Fuji won and Seiyou won the representative championship. On the other hand, Alexander really shouldn't have watch Ryoma with such intensive eyes. Fuji kind of didn't like the way he looked at her.

After the game, Ryoma went to buy a Ponta drink when Alexander appeared next to her.

_"Can I speak to you?"_ he asked her. Ryoma looked at him in silence.

_"What do you want from me?" _she asked. Alexander opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.

* * *

Behind a bush, Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru were spying them.

"Arrrrgh nyah! That guy… What does he want from Ochibi-chan?" Kikumaru said.

"If he lay a finger on her, he is dead meat!" Kirihara growled, his teeth grinding, fist closed.

"Shhhhhh!" Marui whispered, a finger on his mouth. "They will hear us!"

"Yeah. But I still don't like it that that prince-y guy talking to her!" Niou mumbled.

* * *

_"What do you want from me?"_ Ryoma asked again. Alexander looked at her.

_"You're name is Echizen, right? Ryoma Echizen." _(A/N: Japanese names go family name and first name. European is the reverse. Alexander is European so he says Ryoma's first name before the family name.)

_"Yes. What is it with my name?"_

_"Nanjirou Echizen. Samurai Nanjirou Echizen, is he related to you?"_

_"He is my father."_

_"As I suspected…"_

_"Huh?"_

_"I saw you play in the park last week, with a guy who looked exactly like Wolfang."_

_"That was Niou-senpai. He is not a jerk like your friend." _Alexander didn't respond back.

_"Why do you play tennis?" _he asked her.

_"Huh? Why do I play tennis?" _Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

_"Do you play tennis because of your father? Is it because he forced you play, so he could keep his fame in the professional tennis world?"_

_"Hah? What! What do you mean?"_

_"Fourteen years ago, during the final of the Grand Slam, my father was supposed to face Samurai Nanjirou Echizen from the land of Sakura. However, because Nanjirou Echizen didn't show up, my father won by forfeit. Because of that, people talked behind his back, saying that he wasn't the true winner of the Grand Slam. To show people that indeed he deserves the Grand Slam, he threw himself solely into tennis. His life goal was only to collect all the trophies of the tennis world. Nothing was important to him, except tennis. He neglected my mother and forced me to play tennis. He never lost in tennis. He hates losing, but he had the impression that he lost to Nanjirou Echizen even without playing against him. Do you know how the made my life a hell just because that coward Samurai Nanjirou ran away from his last match to the Grand Slam?" _

Ryoma looked sternly at him, not very happy.

_"If Samurai Nanjirou didn't ran away from the Grand Slam and…"_

_"Stop it right there!"_ Ryoma shouted in an angry voice. _"That your father won the Grand Slam and it's not happy about it, it's not my father's fault. That your father made your life a hell is also not my father's fault! And that your father forces you to play tennis to maintain his fame also has nothing to do with my father! Though my father is not the perfect father in the world, but he is not a coward. He didn't run away from the Grand Slam as you say. If he really want the Grand Slam, than he can take it whenever he wants. It's not a problem for him. For him, my pregnant mother was more important than the glory of the Grand Slam! Unlike your father, who chose tennis over your family, my father just chose a different path of life. As for me, my father didn't force me to play tennis. He taught me tennis because I wanted to play tennis. In fact, he rather see me dancing ballet in a pink tutu than watching me running after a yellow ball. I play tennis because I chose to play. And it was a choice from my own will!"_

_"But why?"_

_"Because it's fun!" _Ryoma responded, flashing a smile. Her shining smile made Alexander lost his composure.

_"I'm sorry that your father vent his frustration on you, but you have no right to blame my father. As for you, why do you continue to play tennis if you hate it? I can see that like your father, you hate to loose. After your game against Fuji-senpai, your face became sore. That was so un-cool!" _

Alexander had the impression that a dagger stabbed his heart.

* * *

In the bush:

"Ow! That must hurts!" Marui whispered, grimacing.

"What did she say?" Kikumaru asked.

"You hate to lose and you were sore after your defeat against Fuji. That was so un-cool!" Niou translated.

"Ouch!" Kirihara and Ootori said, clutching their heart.

"Blunt girl," Ootori mumbled.

"Like always," Kirihara added.

* * *

_"And if you really hate tennis, then stop playing tennis!"_ Ryoma continued.

_"I…"_

_"The first step to glory is failure. If you cannot take this lost, then you don't deserve to be called a man!"_

_" . . ." _He took a deep breath. _"You're right_… _I'm sorry_…"

_"If you understand that, then you're more a man than your father."_

_" . . ."_ Alexander didn't answer back. Ryoma looked at him. It seemed that he had something more to speak about.

_"You want to say something else?"_ Ryoma asked.

_"The other day_… _what happened to you and to your brother…" _He hesitated.

_" . . ."_ Ryoma said nothing.

_"I'm sorry… I should have…"_

_"It's okay,"_ Ryoma interrupted him. _"I'm not hurt and Aniki is recovering now…" _Alexander looked up at her, surprised.

_"You… You're not… You forgive…"_

_"You didn't do anything wrong. Beside, you even tried to stop them. I don't blame you," _Ryoma said. He looked at her with his eyes widen. Then, they soften. He walked to her and stopped in front of her.

_"Huh?"_ Ryoma frowned. _"What do you want?"_

_"Thank you,"_ he said. He put his two hands on her shoulder, bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kirihara and Ootori shouted while jumping out of the bush, utterly shock. Niou and Marui grabbed them by the neck of their shirt and threw them in the direction of Alexander. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ootori and Kirihara knocked Alexander over Ryoma's head.

"Ouch! Ara ara ara…" the three boys stumbled on the ground.

"Ah! Senpai-tachi, what are you doing, falling out of nowhere, down from the sky?" Ryoma asked, surprised.

"They tripped over their shoes!" Marui answered, a red vein popping on his head. Kikumaru sweat dropped, but didn't correct the lie.

_'That stupid guy! I should have throw something which would blow off his head!'_ Marui thought.

"It's so stupid to be that clumsy for old guys like them!" Niou added, a vein popping on his head too.

_'He should learn not to touch her!'_ Niou growled in his head.

"Hmm…" Ryoma said as she watched the three stunned boys at her feet.

"Come on, Echizen-chan," Marui said as he put an arm across her shoulder and diverted her attention away from the knock out people. "We should go now."

"Yeah," Niou said, also putting his arm across her other shoulder, forcing her to walk away. "They must be searching for us!"

"Ah. Hai," Ryoma responded and walked away with them.

Kikumaru watched the three people on the ground. Kirihara and Ootori got up. Alexander too got up to see that Ryoma wasn't around.

_"Huh? Where did she go to?"_ Alexander asked.

"Huh?" Kirihara and Ootori looked to each other, not understanding what he said.

"What did he say?" Kirihara asked.

"Don't know," Kikumaru answered, shaking his head, shrugging.

_"She just left,"_ Fuji said, appearing next to them.

_"Oh,"_ Alexander said, disappointed. Then he took out a pencil and a paper. He scribbled something on the paper and gave it to Fuji.

_"Can you give this to her please? It's my email and phone number. Tell her to contact me,"_ he said. He stood up and left. _"Thank you."_

Kirihara, Ootori, Kikumaru and Fuji watched him left.

"Fuji-senpai, what did he tell you?" Kirihara asked.

"He told me to give his email and phone number to Ryoma-chan and tell her to contact him," Fuji answered (not too happy). Ootori took the paper from Fuji's hands.

"This is his email and phone number, right?" Ootori asked.

"Yes," Fuji answered (still no very happy). Fuji looks at the paper with dagger eyes, as if he wanted the paper to crumble and burned in until it became only ash. Ootori and Kirihara also shot fire eyes to the paper. Then, Kirihara grabbed the other end of the paper too. He and Ootori tore the paper into little pieces.

"Oops! My bad! I destroyed the paper!" Kirihara claimed.

"That's too sad! We cannot stick the pieces together!" Ootori added. "We can't give back to Echizen like this!"

"You're right! Then we just don't have to tell her!" Kirihara said.

"Neee!" Kirihara and Ootori grinned.

_'Daring!'_ Kikumaru thought.

"Okay! Let's go too!" Ootori said. And Kirihara and Ootori left.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Kikumaru ran after them.

Fuji watched the torn paper float to the ground.

"It's bad to leave scrap on the ground," he said. He took the papers and threw them in the garbage bin. Then he left too.

Fuji opened his eyes. He saw the German kiss Ryoma. If Niou and Marui didn't throw Kirihara and Ootori to the German, he would have certainly snapped. That blond German took a liking to Ryoma and he intended to deep his acquaintance with her. And the worse, he wanted Fuji to help him in his conquest. Normally, being a gentleman, Fuji would deliver the paper to Ryoma. But this time, it was asking too much from him, which why he had gladly left the sort of the paper into Kirihara's and Ootori's hands.

Alexander Krauser kissing Ryoma, even on the cheek, had awoken something in Fuji. Ryoma was an attractive girl and would probably have many suitors. However, Fuji wasn't sure he was fine with the idea that other guys would be interested in her.


	44. Prince Cafe part 1: Trap the maid!

**Omake!**

A/N: This chapter is not in the storyline! Just a break for the characters. They deserved it after all the hard work I made them do! (And also for me. I need time to resume my ideas to make the story continue its flow…). It's two chapters in on shot, 44 and 45. Please, leave a review for this chapter before reading the chapter 45. Thank you!

And now, enjoy!

* * *

It was the school festival. The school was open for visitors from the outside. Students from other schools and family and parents came to visit the school. Each class was doing something special for the occasion, an attraction or something else. There was a competition among the students. The attraction which gathered the most votes won a special award, so everyone did their best to make their class attraction the most interesting.

Class 1-A.

"Come on, Echizen-chan! Go with us to the 3-A class!" Shizumi Hanako, a classmate of Ryoma, said as she pulled on Ryoma's arm.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!" the other girls of the class squealed of excitement.

"But why? You can go by yourself. Why must I go with you?" Ryoma asked.

"Echizen-chan, you are in the tennis club and you are familiar with them! If you introduce us to them, they will be more willing to speak to us!" Hanako said, pulling Ryoma again.

"Yes! Please come with us, Echizen-chan!" Mio, another girl, said. "Please!"

"You have finish your duty of the morning, so you can leave now. Please, go with us to class 3-A and introduce us to your senpai-tachi!"

"Please, Echizen-chan!" all the girls pleaded, looking at Ryoma with puppy eyes. Ryoma gulped.

"I want you to introduce me to Seiichi-sama!"

"Me, Fuji-sama!"

"Me, Atobe-sama!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"I want to speak with Marui-senpai!"

"I like Yagyuu-senpai!"

"Kikumaru-senpai for me! He is so cute!"

"Me, I like…"

And the girls continued to tell about whom they liked. Ryoma sweat dropped.

_'They are scary when they are like this!' _Ryoma thought.

"Please Echizen-chan! Please introduce us! PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE!" the girl pleaded again. Ryoma gulped again. But seeing their pleading puppy eyes, which were looking expectantly at her, Ryoma resigned.

"Fine," she heavily sighed. "But you leave me alone after that, you got it!"

"Yessssssssssssssss! Thank you, Echizen-chan!" all the girls of her class cheered. Ryoma sighed again, scratching her head.

_'What a bothersome! Even outside of the club, they still cause me problems!' _Ryoma thought.

* * *

Class 3-A.

"Youkoso! Purinsu Kafe e (1)! Welcome to the Prince Cafe!" Marui greeted at the entrance of 3-A class. "Ara! Echizen-chan! So you finally decide to come!"

"Echizen-chan! What took you so long? We have been waiting for hours for you to visit us!" Niou said, appearing behind Marui.

"It's not like I wanted to go," Ryoma mumbled in her teeth, watching her classmates behind her. They were all watching Marui and Niou with heart-shape eyes, squealing.

"Ahhhh…" the girls sighed dreamily.

"Echizen, you're finally here!" Ootori came to greet her. "Say, Echizen! What do you think of me?" he said, showing her his black and white waiter costume.

"You look like a penguin!" Ryoma blurted.

"Pffffffffffffffft!" Niou and Marui snickered.

"Hahahaha!" Ryoma's classmates giggled.

_Pop! Twitch! _A vein popped on Ootori's head.

_'That girl! Couldn't she try to say something more elegant?' _Ootori pondered.

"Anyway, senpai-tachi, I'm here because my classmates want to meet you! Here is Shizumi Hanako, Takamura Mio, Irie Hanami, Kougi Kana, Tsugare Rika, Kurogawa Rei…" Ryoma introduced all her classmates.

"Sou ka! So you're all Echizen-chan classmates!" Ootori said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ootori Choutarou. Yoroshiku." He winked to them.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the girls squealed.

"Purinsu Kafe e, youkoso!" Ootori saluted the girls in a princely way, inviting them inside the classroom.

"Domo arigatou gozaimashita!" Shizumi answered for everyone. They entered the classroom. Yukimura and Oshitari appeared, a tray in their hands.

"Irasshaimase! (2)" Yukimura said.

"Kyaaaaaaaah! Seiichi-senpai!"

"Purinsu Kafe e, youkoso! May I take your order?" Oshitari said, bowing to the girls. "You can also request who you want to serve you."

"Then I want Seiichi-sama to serve me!" a girl said in a sweet voice, pink hearts flying around her head.

"Me too! Me too!"

"Me too please!"

Yukimura smiled princely to them, glitters shining around his angelic face.

"Yorokonde! (3)" he said.

"Ahhhhhhhh…" the girls sighed dreamily again, with more hearts over their head. They all flew on the 9th cloud in heaven. Ryoma sweat dropped.

"Okay, come in, Echizen-chan!" Marui said as he pushed her inside.

"Ah. Hai," Ryoma said. She entered to see the place filled. "Hmmm… Your cafe is sure popular."

"Well, that's good business for use. We are planning to win the award of the festival!" Niou said. Ryoma looked around the classroom. There were some students and their mothers inside, eating cake or drinking a tea or a coffee while chatting.

"Hum, all your customers are girls and women. There is no man or boy," Ryoma said.

"It's true, but we still have a decent number customers," Marui said, cocking his head. "So maybe it's fine."

"No, it is not!" Inui said, appearing between them.

"Aaaah! Inui! Stop popping out of nowhere like this!" Marui told him.

"Inui is right," Yagyuu said as he and Yanagi came to them. "Even if we have customers, they are still only female customers. If we want to win the festival award, we must attract more customers. Females and males."

"Yeah. Well, we don't have anything to attract boys here," Niou said. "We don't have waitresses for the service."

"Where are all the girls of 3-A?" Ryoma asked.

"They finished their job. Because they wanted to be free for the afternoon, they all chose to do their service in the morning. So we are the only ones left for the afternoon," Marui said.

"We have less customers since the girls left. Unless we can find another waitress to attract the male customers…" Ootori said. Yagyuu and Yanagi had been thinking about something for a moment.

"Echizen-chan, if I remember correctly, you were on duty in the morning. Which means, you are free for the afternoon, right?" Yanagi asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Ryoma said. Yagyuu and Yanagi looked at her, something cooking in their head.

"We _do _have a small size waitress costume…" Yagyuu said. Yanagi and Yagyuu looked silently at Ryoma, with insistence. Not understanding the meaning of their glare, Ryoma cocked an eyebrow, tilting her head.

"Huh?"

Then, something flashed in Niou and Marui's head.

_Glint!_

They caught the hint.

_'What a wonderful idea!'_ they thought. They grinned like Cheshire cats.

"Nhehehehehe…" they laughed wickedly as they slide a glance toward Ryoma. Ryoma jumped back one step, suddenly feeling uneasy. She was worried. She started to sweat cold.

"Sen-senpai-tachi… w-why are you laughing so grossly…?" Ryoma asked in a shaking voice.

"Nhehehehehe…" Marui and Niou laughed again, their eyes shinning suspiciously. They walked to her like happy predators over a prey. "Nhehehehehe…"

"Ahhh…" Ryoma sweat harder, stepping another step back. "Ah!" she thought about something. "Masaka… You're not thinking about…" Ryoma muttered, her face blue. They grabbed her a carried her into a changing room.

"_Yadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!_" Ryoma yelled. Niou took the waitress costume, which by some coincidence or by some miracle had appeared in Yagyuu's hands, neatly folded on his palms.

"_Let me goooooooooooooooooooo!_" Ryoma screamed, but no one came to her rescue.

* * *

"Give me back my clothes!" Ryoma yelled.

"No!" Marui and Niou retorted. They made sure to hide her clothes in a very secure place unknown to her.

"Why must I do be a waitress for 3-A?! I'm a 1-A!"

"You have English with us, so you are also a 3-A. So, do your duty of a 3-A student!" Sanada said.

"Sa… Sanada-… senpai…?!" Ryoma looked at him, shock - horrified!

Oh my God! Great kami-sama! Sanada was agreeing with Marui and Niou. Sanada was the kind of person who liked everything perfect. But that 3-A cafe only attracted girls wasn't perfect. So of course he would do what it would need to attract male customers too. Yukimura and Oshitari appeared and saw her. Ryoma was dress in a pink and white strips maid costume over the knees with a white apron and a white headdress over her black-green hair.

"Ah! Echizen-chan! You look adorable!" Yukimura said. "I'm so glad that you agree to help for serving the customers," Yukimura continued, smiling to the scowling girl while Oshitari chuckled.

_'Huhuhu! She doesn't know how cute she looks when she pouts like this!' _Yukimura thought. _'Ah! Fuji would love to see her in her maid dress!' _

"Yukimura-senpai! You know very well that I don't want to do this!" Ryoma said.

"Echizen-chan," Yagyuu spoke in a serious tone. "If you don't do it, I will tell Tezuka."

"He would be disappointed that you didn't help your senpai-tachi," Yanagi added.

". . ."

Silence. Ryoma didn't reply.

_Spun!_

The next second, she was at the entrance of the 3-A classroom door, a shiny smile on her face.

"Irrashimase! Youkoso, Purinsu Kafe e!" Ryoma cutely greeted the customers, flowers and glitter popping around her face.

"Waaaah! Kawaii!" a guy saw her and said. "Say, can I request you to serve me?"

"Of course! Of course you can!" Niou happily answered and invited the boy inside while Ryoma cringed. "Come in!"

"Ah! Me too! Me too! I want her to serve me!" another guy added.

"Me too please! I want her to serve me!"

"Yes, yes! She will serve all of you. Please, come in! Come in!" Marui happily told the new customers. Niou and Marui turned around to Yagyuu and Yanagi, their thumbs up.

_'Yagyuu, Yanagi, you two are genius!'_

* * *

Fuji and Atobe returned to the class 3-A. Being the president of the council student, Fuji had to make sure that everything was fine. From this morning, he personally visit each class to see how the students were doing for their attraction, to see if they had any problem and to see to solve the eventual problems it had. Atobe accompanied with him in his task. In front of the 3-A class, they were surprised to see a line of people waiting to be served in front of the 3-A classroom door.

"What is happening here?" Atobe wondered.

"I'm also wondering," Fuji said.

"Let's go and see," Atobe said. They entered their classroom.

"Irrashimase!" a feminine voice greeted them.

"Ryoma-chan!" Fuji exclaimed. His eyes were opened as he looked at her, gasping.

"Ah! Fuji-senpai!" Ryoma said.

_'She's adorable!' _Fuji thought, a faint tint of red appeared on his face as he gasped. Yukimura, who was watching, chuckled. Ryoma looked at Atobe.

"Atobe-senpai," she greeted him, not calling him by name. Atobe nodded to her. After the training camp, Ryoma saw Atobe with new eyes. After that she knew Atobe came to Sakaki-coach to talk in her favor, she learned to respect him and changed her behavior toward him. Beside, it was a recommendation Tezuka left for her before he went on his flight. She would make sure to do as Tezuka told her and not disappoint him.

"Purinsu Kafe e, youkoso!" Ryoma said, bowing. "Please, come in!"

"Excuse-me Echizen-chan," Rei called.

"Hai?" Ryoma answered.

"Can I have an Opera cake please?" Rei said.

"I would like another tiramisu please," Hanami said.

"I'd love to try your blueberry cheese cake," Kana said.

"Apple tart," Mio said. "Apple tart."

"Hai, I will bring everything to you," Ryoma answered.

"Thank you, Echizen-chan," Rei said, smiling. Ryoma turned to Fuji and Atobe.

"Please, excuse-me, senpai-tachi." Ryoma bowed and she left.

"Fuji, did you finish your council work?" Niou said. "Why don't you take a break?"

"Hmn," Fuji nodded, agreeing to Niou's proposition.

"Fujiko! Over here! Come and sit with us!" Kikumaru greeted from inside the classroom.

"Eiji, Ooishi," Fuji greeted.

"Aniki," Yuuta greeted him.

"Yuuta," Fuji said as he sat between Yuuta and Kaido. Atobe sat at the table next to them. Shishido and Gakuto were there with Jirou, who was snoring on the table.

"Zzzzz! Zzzzz! Zzzzz!"

Jirou was also supposed to serve the customers, but it seemed that the job didn't appeal him very much.

"Zzzzzz! Zzzz! Zzzz!"

Beside, he knew Ryoma would cover for him, so he could rest in peace.

"Zzzzz! Zzzzz! Zzzzz!"

"So, Fuji-senpai! What do you think of Echizen? She looks good, huh?" Kirihara, sat at the table across, asked.

"Ehh…"

"Fuji-senpai, Atobe-senpai, would you like a drink or a cake?" Ryoma came and asked, saving him from answering.

"I would like a Ceylon tea please," Fuji said.

"And Atobe-senpai?"

"For me, a Darjeeling tea," Atobe said.

"So, a long tea for Fuji-senpai and a darling tea for Atobe-senpai," Ryoma said as she noted down their order. "Weird kinds of tea. I never heard about long and short tea. Or even a darling tea!" she mumbled. Fuji chuckled at her mistakes of the names of the tea.

"Darjeeling, Echizen. Darjeeling," Atobe corrected her.

"Yes, yes, I perfectly got it, a darling tea and a long tea. I'll immediately bring them to you," Ryoma said. She saw Kaido's nearly empty cup. "Kaido-senpai, do you want to refill your tea too?"

"Fshhhhhhhhhhhh! Hai. Arigatou," Kaido answered.

"Hey! Echizen, bring me another parfait for me! Mango flavor this time!" Kirihara called.

"Me too! And a raspberry cheese cake!" Momoshiro added.

"Hey! It's been three times that I served you! How many times more must I have to do it again? I have other people to attend to, you know!" Ryoma said. "Ah! I know! I'll tell Inui-senpai to serve you! I'm sure you'll love the special crappy, weird color and smelly stuff he put in the parfait!"

"Hey!" Kirihara and Momoshiro shouted while Ryoma plugged her ears, deadpanned. She left to take Fuji's, Atobe's and Kaido's tea.

* * *

At the other end of the classroom, Yanagi and Yagyuu were supervising everything.

"For sure, since Echizen is here, our customers increase," Yanagi said as he noted down the number of customers.

"She's effective," Yagyuu said, very happy of the profit accumulated in his cashier.

"Yanagi-senpai, Yagyuu-senpai, a long tea and a darling tea for Fuji-senpai and Atobe-senpai please," Ryoma said.

"A long tea and a darling tea? What kind of weird tea is that?" Marui said.

"I never heard of anything like a long or a short tea. Not even a darling tea!" Niou added.

"So you think it's weird too, right?" Ryoma said. "That's exactly what I told them!"

"A Ceylon tea and a Darjeeling tea, Echizen. Ceylon and Darjeeling," Yagyuu corrected her.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said. A long tea and a darling tea," Ryoma said. "Ah! That's right! I almost forgot!" She turned to Inui. "Inui-senpai, Kirihara and Momo-senpai want each one of your special parfaits."

_Glint!_

Inui's glasses shined of joy.

"I will personally bring it to them," Inui happily said, smiling, a tray in his hands with two cups of parfait on it.

Two seconds later.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" a horrible scream was heard from Kirihara and Momoshiro's table.

"Echizen! You sadistic, evil monster!" Kirihara and Momoshiro yelled. But Ryoma didn't hear them because she plugged her ears with her fingers.

"Here, Echizen. A Ceylon tea and a Darjeeling tea," Yanagi said as he gave her her tray.

"Hai, arigatou senpai," Ryoma said as she added the cup of Japanese green tea for Kaido. She picked up her tray and left.

"Kaido-senpai, here's your tea," Ryoma said as she put the cup in front of Kaido.

"Fsssssssssssh! Arigatou."

"Atobe-senpai, your darling tea." Ryoma put the cup in front of him.

"Echizen," Atobe said, an eyebrow raised.

"You have such a thick skull," Shishido completed for him.

"Pffffft! Humhumhum!" Gakuto snickered behind his hands. Ryoma ignored them.

"And Fuji-senpai, here's your long tea," Ryoma put the last cup in front of Fuji. Fuji chuckled.

"Arigatou, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said. He opened his eyes and looked to her. Caught by surprise by the intensity of his eyes, Ryoma clumsily hit his cup of tea with her hand and got splashed with some hot water.

"Aie!"

Fuji hastily grabbed her hand, took his silk handkerchief and cleaned the water for her.

"A… arigatou, senpai…" Ryoma said.

"Dou itashimashite…" Fuji replied. But he didn't release her hand. On the contrary, Ryoma had the impression that he pressed her hand more in his. She looked questionably to him to meet up with the intense glare of his cerulean orbs. Ryoma froze and her cheeks burned. For a reason she didn't know, everything around her disappeared. Only left was Fuji and she in an unknown world.

"Fu-… Fuji-… sen-… senpai…?" Ryoma shyly called, stuttering. Now, all her face was red. Oh dear Kami-sama! His glare made her feel so nervous. But…

_'What's wrong with me? It's not like it's the first Fuji-senpai look at me. Then, why do I feel nervous?!'_

She didn't know it was what, but she was sure that the way he looked at her now was different from before - because before, she never felt nervous. She didn't know what to think about it nor what to do next. A chance Kami-sama helped her.

* * *

1) "Youkoso, Purinsu Kafe e!": Welcome to Prince Cafe!

2) Irrashimase: "Please come in!" Often used in shops and restaurants.

3) Yorokonde: It will be my pleasure.

A/N: Please, remember to leave a review for this chapter before reading the next chapter, telling me what you think about it. Thank you very much!


	45. Prince Cafe part 2: Meet Yumiko

From last time…

"And Fuji-senpai, here's your long tea," Ryoma put the last cup in front of Fuji.

Fuji chuckled.

"Arigatou, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said. He opened his eyes and looked to her.

Caught by surprise by the intensity of his eyes, Ryoma clumsily hit his cup of tea with her hand and got splashed with some hot water.

"Aie!"

Fuji hastily grabbed her hand, took his silk handkerchief and cleaned the water for her.

"A… arigatou, senpai…" Ryoma said.

"Dou itashimashite…" Fuji replied.

But he didn't release her hand. On the contrary, Ryoma had the impression that he pressed her hand more in his. She looked questionably to him to meet up with the intense glare of his cerulean orbs. Ryoma froze and her cheeks burned. For a reason she didn't know, everything around her disappeared. Only left was Fuji and she in an unknown world.

"Fu-… Fuji-… sen-… senpai…?" Ryoma shyly called, stuttering. Now, all her face was red.

Oh dear Kami-sama! His glare made her feel so nervous. But…

_'What's wrong with me? It's not like it's the first Fuji-senpai look at me. Then, why do I feel nervous?!'_

She didn't know it was what, but she was sure that the way he looked at her now was different from before - because before, she never felt nervous. She didn't know what to think about it nor what to do next.

A chance Kami-sama helped her.

* * *

A chance Kami-sama helped her.

"Ryoma," a gentle and warm voice called her.

Ryoma turned around - happy of the interruption.

"Ah! Kaa-san! You came!" Ryoma said. She ran to her mother. "But your work…?"

"I took the afternoon off to see you and your school," Rinko said, smiling.

Ryoma grinned a flashing smile to her mother. She threw herself into Rinko's opened arms and hugged her.

"Kaa-san!" Ryoma happily called her mother.

Rinko chuckled as she hugged her back. Ryoma felt so blessed to have such a wonderful mother. Ryoma then noticed Nanjirou's and Ryoga's behind Rinko.

"Ah! Oyajii, Aniki."

"Chibisuke took you a while. I'm not invisible, you know?" Ryoga said.

Seeing her in her maid costume, Nanjirou whistled.

"Wow! You look good in that thing, bishoujo," Nanjirou said. Then, his face changed into a gross expression. "Say, can you get me a similar dress, but in your mother size please? Ah! I had always dream to see your mother in a maid costume and me remov-…! (_WHACK!)_ Owwwww!" _Boom!_ "Ara ara ara…"

Rinko had hit him behind the head with her purse, a vein popping on her head.

"Pervert!" she cringed between her teeth.

"Ahou," Ryoma and Ryoga said, looking at the dead body on the floor, eyes in swirl pool mode.

"Echizen-san! Nanjirou-san!" Kirihara came and happily greeted. He was pleased to see Ryoma's parents again. He still remembered the good supper Rinko made for him and the good match he played with Nanjirou.

"Echizen-fusai, thank you again for the last time. Welcome to Seiyou Academy. Please, come inside," Yukimura greeted in a more formal way. The other boys behind bowed to Rinko and Nanjirou.

"Thank you very much," Rinko said. "I'm very happy to see you again."

* * *

_Tap tap tap tap tap!_

Footsteps could be heard behind Ryoma. She turned around to see what was it when…

_Boom!_

"Ahhhhh!" Ryoma yelled as she fell on the floor. "Ouch!"

"Ah! Touga! Sora!" Fuji stood up when he saw the two children clutched to Ryoma around her waist.

"Nee-chan! It's been so long! We miss you so much!" Touga and Sora squealed in delight, crushing her in their small arms.

"Oufffffffffff! Touga… Sora… Konnichiwa…" Ryoma said her eyes in swirl pool. Her head hit the floor when she was tackled on the floor.

"Touga! Sora!" a middle age man called them.

"What are you doing?" a pretty middle age woman scolded them. She had wavy chestnut hair color and light purple eyes.

_'She looks like Yuuta,'_ Ryoma thought.

"Onii-san, nee-san," Fuji and Yuuta greeted the man and the woman.

_'Ah! So she's Yuuta's sister! No wonder they look alike!'_

"Syuusuke, Yuuta, konnichiwa," Mitsuda Yumiko said. She immediately turned her attention to Ryoma. She helped Ryoma up. "I'm sorry. Did they hurt you?"

"It's alright. Thank you," Ryoma said.

"Kaa-san, it's her, the nee-chan we talked to you about," Touga said, now clinging to Ryoma's left arm.

Yumiko widen her eyes and looked at Ryoma.

"Ah! Are you are Echizen Ryoma?" she asked expectantly.

"Ehh… hai…" Ryoma answered.

Yumiko took her hands and squeezed them.

"Oh! I'm so happy to meet you!" Yumiko said. "My husband and I wanted to personally thank you for what you did for Touga and Sora!"

"Thank you very much for them," Kouki said, bowing to her.

"No no no! It's really nothing!" Ryoma said, shaking her head.

"Chibisuke, who are they?" Ryoga asked.

Ryoga, Nanjirou and Rinko had been watching at the group for a moment.

"Ah! That's right! We haven't do the introduction yet," Yuuta said. "Echizen-fusai, this is my sister, Mitsuda Yumiko, and her husband, Mitsuda Kouki. And here are their children, Touga and Sora." Yuuta turned to Yumiko and Kouki. "Onii-san, nee-san, this Ryoma's parents, Echizen Nanjirou and Echizen Rinko. And here is Ryoma's brother, Echizen Ryoga."

"Hajimemashite (1)" Kouki and Yumiko said, bowing to Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoga.

"Hajimemashite," Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoga bowed back.

"During our summer vacations, Touga and Sora got kidnapped. It was thanks to Ryoma-chan that the children could return to their parents," Fuji explained.

"Oh! Sou ka," Ryoga said as he watched Ryoma and the children.

While the parents exchanged formality, Sora pulled on Ryoma's right arm to get her attention. When Ryoma looked down at her, the little girl hold up her arms to her. Ryoma raised an eyebrow, not understanding what the little girl wanted.

_'She wants you to pick her up, Chibisuke!'_ Ryoga thought.

It was obvious to anyone who looked at them. But Ryoma being Ryoma, knowing nothing about kids, didn't understand. Sora pouted and decided to change tactic. Sora waved her hand, telling Ryoma to bend down to listen to her. As expected, Ryoma bent down to her. Sora immediately took the opportunity and jumped to Ryoma's neck, closing her arms around it. Ryoma stumbled because of the weight around her neck. Instinctively, she closed her arms around Sora to keep her stability. Very happy of the success of her trick, Sora smiled widely. Ryoma had picked her up in her arms like she wanted.

_'Smart little girl,'_ Ryoga thought.

* * *

"Echizen-fusai, Mitsuda-fusai, please, sit down," Oshitari said, pulling a chair for Yumiko while Yagyuu pulled one for Rinko.

"Thank you," Yumiko and Rinko said as they sat at the same table.

Kouki, Nanjirou and Ryoga also pulled up a chair.

"Would you like to order something?" Niou asked.

"Ah! I will do it, Niou-senpai!" Ryoma said.

"It's alright Echizen-chan," Yukimura said. "Let us take care of everything. You can take a break and stay with your family."

"Ah… Arigatou, senpai," Ryoma said.

"Here, sit down, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said as he pulled her a chair.

"Thank you, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma sat down with Sora in her lap.

Fuji sat on the chair on the right side of Ryoma. Touga pulled a chair right next Ryoma's chair, on her left side, and climbed on. The two families ordered cake and drink. While enjoying their snacks, they chatted. Yumiko wanted to know more about Ryoma and Rinko happily told her everything. But as they talked together, Yumiko noticed something.

_'Syuusuke…' _Yumiko looked more closely at her young brother.

Today, Fuji was very different from the Syuusuke she knows.

_'The way you look at Echizen-chan…' _Yumiko watched the expression in Fuji's open eyes.

Something about the way he watched Ryoma, who was feeding Sora another spoon of ice cream while cleaning Touga's dirty face.

The expression of his eyes… The softness they held…

Yumiko's eyes widen, realizing something.

_'Sou ka…!'_

Yumiko mysteriously smiled.

_'I understand now…'_

* * *

They were going to separate at the end of the day.

"It's been a real pleasure to meet you, Echizen-fusai," Kouki said.

"The same for us," Nanjirou said.

"Let's meet again another time," Yumiko said.

"Anytime you wish," Rinko said.

"Nee-chan, you will come and stay at our place tonight, right?" Touga said.

"Heh?! Since when was it decided?" Ryoma asked.

"Nee-chan!!!!" Touga and Sora insisted.

"Touga, Sora, it's not the proper way to invite someone to stay over," Fuji scolded them.

"And you cannot impose yourselves to other people like this," Yuuta added.

Touga's and Sora's face sadden.

"Hai…" they answered. "We are sorry…"

"Please, when you will have time, come to visit us at our place," Touga corrected himself. "Nee…?" he finished, pleading hope in his puppy eyes.

"Nee, nee-chan!" Sora insisted, using her puppy eyes too.

"Ehh…" Ryoma felt pressured by their intense glares.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase!" Touga and Sora chorused, bigger puppy eyes.

Ryoma sweat dropped, gulping.

"Nee-_chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan_!"

Ryoma cringed, but resigned.

"H-Hai…" she reluctantly answered.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Touga and Sora squealed of victory.

Ryoma signed.

_'They got me! Children are scary creatures!'_

Fuji and Yuuta chuckled. Ryoma was a strong girl on the tennis court, but she really had no idea how to face strong opponents like young children.

"And Echizen-chan," Yumiko said.

"Hai?"

"Again, thank you again for what you did for Touga and Sora. I'm very grateful to you," Yumiko said, bowing to Ryoma.

"It was really nothing! You shouldn't thank me," Ryoma said, bowing back.

Yumiko smiled.

"You are a very nice girl, Echizen-chan," Yumiko said. She slides a glimpse at Fuji. Then, she bent down to Ryoma's ear. "And please, take care of Syuusuke for me," she whispered.

"?!?" Ryoma widen her eyes.

"Huh?!" She looked at Fuji.

"What?!" she said, many question marks popping around her head.

Yumiko only chuckled, but didn't explain.

They exchanged their last farewell and everybody left.

* * *

That night, alone in her room, Ryoma pondered over and over what Yumiko told her.

_'What does she mean by me taking care of Fuji-senpai?'_

* * *

1) Hajimemashite: equivalent to "Nice to meet you". It's a polite formal way to say when you meet someone for the first time.


	46. Yukimura is transferred

A/N: There is no FujiXRyo moment in this chapter, but it's a key chapter for the next development of the story. So please, just be a little bit patient. Thank you!

* * *

In the green house.

The atmosphere was deadly heavy. No one said a word nor made a sound.

"Wha… What do you mean… Yukimura-senpai…? Trans… Transferring…? N-now…? " Ryoma stuttered.

They had won the Preliminaries and next month would be the National Championship Finals. Ryoma had always thought that they would be together at the Nationals. But Yukimura…

_'Why Yukimura is transferring school now? And he'll be our next opponent? Why?' _Ryoma shouted in her head.

"What about the Nationals? You told us we'd be together for the Nationals! Then why?"

Yukimura closed his eyes, not answering.

"I'm sorry, Echizen-chan…" Yukimura stood up and left.

"Senpai! Wait! Senpai!"

HOwever, Yukimura didn't respond to her calls and left the green house. Ryoma ran after him but Sanada stopped her.

"Echizen, no!"

"But Sanada-senpai, Yukimura-senpai… He…"

Sanada shook his head.

"Ryoma-chan, come here," Fuji told her, a hand patting the chair next to him. Ryoma turned to look at him but didn't move.

"Ryoma-chan…" Fuji firmly called once more. Ryoma fidgeted. Then, reluctantly, her feet carried her to Fuji and she sat next to him. Sanada, too, sat at the table they were gathered around.

"Atobe, explain what happened," Sanada demanded. Atobe took a deep breath.

"Last month, Yukimura's father made a mistake which almost brought the family business into bankruptcy. At the last moment, he was saved by someone called Torada Junichi."

"Torada?" Ooishi repeated. "That's…"

"Yes. That's the name of the captain of Genhoujii Chuu tennis club, Torada Juujirou. Genhoujii is our opponent for the final of the National. Torada Juujirou is Torada Junichi's son," Oshitari said.

"Genhoujii is aware that they can't win against us because we have Yukimura," Yanagi said. "The only way to ensure their victory is to have Yukimura in their team."

"Thus, Torada Juujirou had his father make Yukimura's father transfer Yukimura to Genhoujii," Inui said.

"Then, it means that…" Jirou trailed off. For once, he wasn't sleeping. It was a much too important time for him to be asleep.

"…that Yukimura got blackmailed," Atobe finished for him. "Yukimura is being coerced into winning the Nationals for Genhoujii. Should he fail... his family business will fall into bankruptcy."

A heavy silence took place in the green house.

**_BAM!_**

Shishido angrily hit the table, but didn't say anything. Instead, it was Momoshiro who spoke for him.

"Kuso! (1)" Momoshiro cursed, frustration emanating from him.

"Momoshiro!" Ooishi reprimanded halfheartedly.

"Ano yaro no Torada (2)…" Kaido mumbled, not fsssh-ing this time.

"With Yukimura, Genhoujii is already the champion of the National," Hiyoshi murmured, but everyone heard him. Their faces all adorned a sad expression.

"This can't be!" Ryoma slammed her hands against the table. "You can't let it happen like that! Senpai-tachi, can't you do anything to help Yukimura-senpai?"

No one answered her.

"Echizen-chan... Right now, I don't know what to think about this. I don't see how we can help Yukimura and win the National at the same time. It's giving me a headache just thinking about it," Oshitari said, rubbing his forehead. Atobe's face was dark reflecting his unhappy mood. He stood up.

"Ore-sama is tired. He is going home now. Kabaji!"

"Usu!" They left.

"I can't think about this anymore. I'm going home!" Sanada walked out of the greenhouse.

"Me too," Hiyoshi muttered, getting up to leave as well.

"I don't see a way out of all this rubbish. I'm leaving!" Gakuto stormed out.

"I don't see the point of staying here!" Shishido yelled, frustrated. He got up to leave, following the others out the door.

"I agree with you!" Kirihara ran after him. Kikumaru stood up from his chair.

"Ooishi, I'm going to eat dried squid noodles!" Kikumaru declared, shoulders heavy. He headed out of the greenhouse.

"Ehh!" Ooishi and Kawamura exclaimed out of horror. Kikumaru hated dried squid. What had come over him? Ooishi ran after him. Kawamura sighed, shaking his head. He stood up, deciding to follow Kikumaru as well.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrggggh!" Momoshiro shouted, running out of the green house.

". . ." Kaido didn't say anything, but he stood up to leave.

"I'm going to eat an Thai extra spicy curry with kimchi!" Marui tossed over his shoulder as he, too, made for the doors.

"_Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!_" Niou and Ootori shouted, shocked.

Did he just say that he want to eat something which wasn't a sweet! Marui never eats anything spicy - he wasn't able to stand spicy food.

"Hey! Don't poison/kill yourself!" Niou and Ootori shouted, running after him worriedly. Why were people suddenly wanting to commit suic-…! Errr… No! Sorry! I mean, why were people suddenly wishing to eat food they had never wished to eat before? One by one, they all left. Only Fuji, Yagyuu and Ryoma were left behind in the green house. Yuuta was there as well since he was waiting for Fuji to go back home with him.

"Yukimura-senpai…" Ryoma whispered sadly. Someone put a hand on her left shoulder. Ryoma turned her head to see Fuji.

"Fuji-senpai…" She looked at him with distressed eyes. She grabbed onto his jacket. "Can't we do something about this mess?"

"Ryoma-chan, calm down," Fuji said. Gently, he removed her hands from his jacket, keeping them in clutched his. "Let's stop here today. We'll find a way to help Yukimura tomorrow. For now, you should go home and rest."

Ryoma lowered her head.

"Come on, Ryoma," Yuuta said. "We'll bring you home."

Ryoma sighed but followed them anyway.

* * *

"Arigatou, senpai-tachi, for bringing me home," Ryoma said.

"Fuji-kun, Yuuta, Yagyuu-kun, why don't you come in to have a drink?" Rinko offered.

_'Hiroshi?' _Ryoga look at the megane (3) boy. _'What's he doing here?'_

"Thank you, Echizen-san, but we should go home now," Fuji said politely.

"Then stop by another time," Rinko said.

"We will certainly," Fuji answered.

"See you tomorrow, Ryoma," Yuuta said, waving goodbye.

"Hai. Thank you again."

Fuji, Yuuta and Yagyuu stepped out the house.

"Kaa-san, I'm going out for a while," Ryoga said, putting on her shoes once more.

"Okay. But be back by supper time," Rinko called after her son's back.

"Hai!"

* * *

Fuji and Yuuta returned to their home. Meanwhile, Yagyuu and Ryoga stopped by a coffee shop. Yagyuu wasn't a guy who would go to anyone's house without a good reason behind his head. To find out what this reason was, Ryoga went after him, determined to have this conversation.

"So, Hiroshi, what happen that caused her to be so depressed?" Ryoga asked. Yagyuu sighed before proceeding to explain everything.

* * *

When Yagyuu finished, Ryoga grabbed his head, scratching it in an attempt to get rid of the headache that was slowly but surely growing.

"You have such a complicated story. First, your Tezuka-buchou has yet to come back from Germany. And now, this Yukimura-boy also has to leave and is being transferred to your opponent's team," Ryoga resumed. "You all must be pretty lost right now."

"I don't need you to tell me that!" Yagyuu said, sighing. "For three years, we've aimed for the victory of the Nationals. For two years, we won the Nationals. But this year Nationals is the most important for us. It's the ultimate goal of all our achievement. But right now, we can't win it. Yukimura is not with us."

"You mean without Yukimura, you've already lost? Is he that strong?"

"Yukimura never lost a game in his life. He is not called the Child of God for nothing," Yagyuu said.

"Why?"

"He play ESP tennis."

"E… S… P…" Ryoga slowly repeated, a cold chill slowly making its way up his spine. "ESP… I hope you don't mean ESP like in…"

"Like in Extra Sensory Perception? Sadly, yes it is," Yagyuu said. "Using his sixth sense, he can return all his opponent's shot, take away their five senses and made them believe that they no longer want their ball to cross the net."

". . ."

Yukimura Seiichi was a rare phenomena. People with ESP are one in a billion and there was someone with that ability in his acquaintance. Even worse, Yukimura Seiichi was a tennis player. Ryoga now understood the meaning of the title of the "Child of God". Playing against Yukimura Seiichi was like playing against a god. It wasn't David against Goliath, but an baby ant against something a thousand time larger Goliath.

"Not even Fuji, Tezuka or Sanada, who are our strongest players, can win against Yukimura. Unless you're also an ESP player or you possess something else which can confront his ESP, you cannot win against him," Yagyuu finished.

"But can't you do something else that doesn't need you to play against him?"

"Like what?"

"For example, break into Torada's house, steal Yukimura's family stock back and voila! So, how is it, that incredibly genius idea of min-…!"

_BAAAAAAAAAAM! _Yagyuu slammed his hand against the table.

"You moron!" Yagyuu shouted. "Stop saying such stupid things! I don't need to hear them now!"

Yagyuu spilled his coffee in his anger. It was a good thing because his coffee was no longer drinkable for him. Yagyuu never added sugar or milk in his coffee. He always drank it black. But for some unknown reason, there were five empty cups of milk and ten torn sugar bags next to his cup.

"Hola hola! It was only to make you stop frowning because you looked like you were constipated!" Ryoga defended while a waitress cleaned the table. "Beside, it works. You stopped frowning!" Ryoga finished, smiling in self-satisfaction, his arms crossed. Yagyuu froze.

". . ." Ryoga gotten him. "Ah…" Yagyuu sighed and sat back in his chair.

The waitress came back with a new cup of coffee for Yagyuu. Unconsciously, his hands picked the milk and the sugar and poured them in his coffee. The black coffee slowly turned into a beige hue.

"Can't you buy back Yukimura's shares from Torada?" Ryoga asked.

"It is a possibility but Torada would't hesitate to raise the price a thousand times its current value," Yagyuu said. "Beside, I doubt he would actually sell it. And if we go to Torada for a business exchange, it's like attacking a lion from the front."

"Well, if you can't face the lion from the front, why don't you attack from behind? Pulling his tail, for example!"

"Ryuu (Ryoga ticked an eyebrow at the name), your jokes are so lame!" Yagyuu said, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Hmph!" Vexed, Ryoga turned his head away, chin held high in arrogance. He took his coffee and drank it in one gulp. He shouldn't have.

"_Blwueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!_" He sputtered, spitting out the mouthful that he had just swallowed. The coffee was too sweet. Ryoga looked at his coffee. It was beige-white. Too much milk had been added in.

"Hey! This isn't my coffee!"

Yagyuu picked up his cup and drank it calmly. By some miracle, his coffee was black again. He had switched Ryoga's cup with his own.

"Why you… You… You _thief! _Grrrrrr!" Ryoga couldn't find the words he needed.

"That's for being stupid," Yagyuu said, putting down the empty cup. "I'm leaving now. Thank you for the treat!"

"Stingy," Ryoga snorted. "Hiroshi, no one is as tricky as you! You can do illegal things while still be legal in the eyes of the law. With that twisted brain of yours, it would be the end of the world if you were to rule it!" Ryoga said.

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Yagyuu left the shop.

"Tche!" Ryoga snorted. But he smiled.

_'He seems to have slightly cheered up,' _Ryoga thought. He watched his watch. _'It's almost time for supper. I better go back before Kaa-san decide to hunt me down!' _

He paid the coffee and hurried back home. Rinko may be a sweet woman, but supper time was sacred to her. No one wanted to miss supper time with her if they wished to see the sunrise the next day.

* * *

Yagyuu mansion. In Yagyuu's room.

Yagyuu got out of the shower, a towel on his head. He sat in his arm chair and threw the towel away, feeling relaxed.

_'I feel much better now,' _Yagyuu thought. _'Even after so many years apart, he still possesses that strange power to release me from my stress and worry.'_

He leaned back in his chair, watching the moon outside and letting his mind rant. As he watched the white ball in the dark blue sky, Ryoga's words rang in his head again.

_'If you can't face the lion from the front, why don't you attack from behind? Pulling his tail, for example!'_

Yagyuu blinked.

". . ."

Ryoga's words echoed in his head again.

_'You thief!'_

Yagyuu straightened up in his seat.

_'You can do illegal things while still be legal in the eyes of the law.'_

Something clicked in Yagyuu's head.

_'That's it!'_

He grabbed his glasses.

_Tit tit tit! Tit tit tit!_

Putting on his glasses, he opened his now ringing cellphone. It was Fuji.

"Yagyuu, I have been thinking about something," Fuji said.

Yagyuu smiled.

"I was going to call you," Yagyuu replied.

He opened his laptop and punched the keys of the keyboard while listening to Fuji.

* * *

1) kuso: equivalent to "Damn it!"

2) ano yaro no Torada: "That good-for-nothing of Torada!"

3) megane: glasses.


	47. Dangerous Turmoil

A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. This week was particularly hectic for me. I had interviews, appointments, concerts and examinations pilled up from one day to another. But here finally the chapter 47 for you.

Sorry for the lateness, thank you for your patience and enjoy the reading!

* * *

From last time

"Wha… What do you mean… Yukimura-senpai…? Trans… Transferring…? N-now…?"

"Genhoujii is aware that they cannot win against us because we have Yukimura. The only way to ensure their victory is to have Yukimura on their team."

"Yukimura is being coerced to win the National for Genhoujii or his family business will really fall into bankruptcy."

* * *

"Here I go, Echizen-chan!"

Jirou threw the ball and served, immediately running to the net.

_'Damn it! He's already at the net!' _

Ryoma sent back his ball in a lob. He had gotten her to lob.

_'Just what I want!' _Jirou thought. He jumped and…

_Smash!_

_'No way am I going to let you, Jirou-senpai!'_

Ryoma replied to the smash. Body bent. Racket swift from the left shoulder to the right. 180 degree turn. Centrifuge force on the right knee. And arm spread out to send the ball from behind the back. From the sweet spot of her racket, the ball lobbed high in the air, out of the reach of Jirou, and landed behind him on the baseline.

". . ."

Silence.

No one on the court made a sound. They all looked at her, gaping.

"Hi… Hi…" Momoshiro stuttered.

"Higuma…" Kaido gasped.

"…Otoshi…" Hiyoshi trailed.

"Higuma Otosh_iiii_?" Gakuto exclaimed.

"Higuma Otoshi!"

"That's Higuma Otoshi!"

"And Moon Volley too!"

"Fujiko, Ochibi-chan did your Higuma Otoshi! And the landing of the ball on the baseline is exactly like Ooishi's Moon Volley!" Kikumaru said, excitedly astonished.

"It's a very interesting combination, Higuma Otoshi and Moon Volley," Inui mumbled as he scribbled down in his notesbook.

But that wasn't all. Ryoma still had other surprises up her sleeves. Ryoma returned Jirou's ball and faced him at the net.

"Hey! That's the stance of Zero-Shiki Drop Shot!" Kirihara said.

Indeed, Ryoma hit a Shiki Drop Shot.

"Jirou is in front. He can return the Shiki," Oshitari commented.

But the later portion of the Shiki wasn't anything like a Shiki. Everybody watched her ball. It was as if the ball was walking in the air to the net. It made a cord ball… and ran on the net from the right to the left before rolling down the net on Jirou's court side. It was impossible to return the ball without touching the net.

". . ."

Silence reigned again.

"Zero…" Kaido started.

"Shiki…" Kawamura said.

"Drop Shot…" Ootori completed.

"A perfect one this time, compare to her first attempt…" Inui said.

"And… Tightrope Walking…" Marui stuttered.

"A combination of Zero Shiki and Tightrope Walking…" Yanagi said.

"Game and set. 6-4. Echizen Ryoma," the referee called.

But Ryoma wasn't happy. Her arms slumped against her body if front of her. She turned on her feet and left the court alone, not saying a word.

_'Echizen-chan…' _Jirou thought, worried.

Kirihara tried to run after her but Fuji caught him by his shoulder.

"Kirihara!" Fuji called, stopping him.

"But Fuji-senpai, she…" Kirihara said.

"No," Fuji said firmly, shaking his head. "I know how you feel Kirihara, but she wants to be alone right now."

"How can you know that, senpai?" Kirihara asked.

"I cannot explain how… I just know…" Fuji simply said, his eyes fixed on Ryoma's back. "But for now, just grant her her wish, Kirihara."

". . ." Kirihara turned his eyes to Ryoma's retreating form, watching her in silence. "Hai…"

* * *

On the way back from school, in his private car.

Yagyuu took out his cellphone and flipped it open.

"Ryuu, it's me," Yagyuu said.

* * *

Ryoga watched Ryoma in silence. Worried. Very worried. Especially after Yagyuu's call.

The girl was in the back yard, standing in front of a tree. Ryoga could no longer tell how long she had stood there, fixing her gaze on the trunk without blinking once. The tension surrounding her, her closed fists, her immobility - everything screamed out the raging and boiling turmoil currently inside her. But what worried Ryoga the most was that she had not punch the tree yet.

Ryoga wasn't the only one who was worried. Everyone in the house could feel the anger Ryoma was emitting. Nanjirou wasn't reading his newspaper. Rinko wasn't chopping the vegetables nor stirring the miso soup. Nanako stopped setting the table. And Karupin. Karupin wanted to run to her and comfort her, but he also knew that his mistress wanted to be left alone for now. No one made a move nor a sound. They all looked at the silent girl outside, extremely worried.

Ryoma still hadn't move and the unsafe aura around her grew darker and thicker.

_'She must releases out her anger now!' _Ryoga thought. _'She can't keep it inside and nourish it like this!'_

Ryoga took her racket when someone held out his for him to take.

"Oyajii…" Ryoga trailed, his gaze explaining more than his words could.

Nanjirou simply nodded, still looking at Ryoma but not saying a word. Ryoga took his racket from Nanjirou's hand and carried the two rackets outside.

"Chibisuke!" Ryoga called, throwing her racket to her.

By reflex, Ryoma turned around just in time to catch it with her left hand, surprised.

"?"

_'W-what…?'_

Ryoma blinked, watching Ryoga who was walking to the tennis court. Without saying a word, Ryoga took out a ball. He bounced it repeatedly, eyes fixed on Ryoma.

"What do you…?" Ryoma asked.

Ryoga still glared at her, not blinking while still bouncing his ball. Then he stopped bouncing it. Ball in hand, he took the pose of a server, eyes still fixed on her. Ryoma went to the other end of the court and took the position and pose of a receiver. Ryoga served.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A No-touch-ace Twist Serve.

"Ah!" Ryoma yelped, caught by surprised.

"15-love. Ryoga," Nanjirou called as he took the position of a referee.

_'He is really playing seriously!'_ Ryoma thought.

Ryoga took out another ball and served again. This time, Ryoma didn't let him make another No-touch-ace Serve. She responded.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

She replied by putting all her anger in the shot. Just like Ryoga and Nanjirou hadhoped she would. Just like they wanted her to do.

* * *

That night.

Rinko silently opened Ryoma's door. Silently again, she walked to Ryoma's bed and sat on it, watching her daughter's sleeping face.

_'Ryoma…'_

She caressed Ryoma's face, moving her hair from her forehead. Today, Ryoma didn't eat a lot like she used to do. And she didn't talk during supper. It had been like this for two days now. Rinko was worried.

"Don't worry," Nanjirou whispered. He was standing next to her. He had seen Rinko going in Ryoma's room and had decided to follow her. "She'll pull through it. She is not an Echizen for nothing. She is our daughter after all. She has your blood and mine in her."

Rinko nodded. She bent down and tenderly kissed Ryoma on her forehead.

_'Sleep well, my little girl.'_

"Watch over her sleep, Karupin," Rinko whispered to the cat next to Ryoma's pillow.

"Meow…" Karupin answered, earning a scratch behind the ears from Rinko.

With one last glance to Ryoma, Rinko and Nanjirou left Ryoma's room.

* * *

Germany. Night time. In Tezuka's room.

Tezuka read the email Ooishi sent him. Ooishi often diligently gave reports to him regarding about everything in the tennis club, and particularly about Seigaku: what did they do, who and how progressed what as well as also giving him news about people in Hyotei and Rikkaidai. Tezuka knew about Yukimura's transfer. Ooishi told him from the very first day. Today, Ooishi wrote him a very, very long, long mail, saying a lot on the mood - heavy - of everyone. Tezuka fixed the screen, his face impassive like always. Yet, in his head, he was worried, very worried for everyone.

_'Minna (1)…'_

He just read a passage about Ryoma. Ooishi particularly emphasized on her change of behaviour. Tezuka became especially worried for her. She was his most inexperienced subordinate. From Ooishi's email, she was likely the one who was the most disturbed by Yukimura's transfer. And his absence certainly didn't help her.

_'Tezuka, since your departure, Echizen has thoroughly held her responsibilities as the Pillar of Seigaku. You can be proud of her. She made a lot of progress. Today, she perfected the Zero Shiki Drop Shot, exactly like yours. Inui said that she had corrected her prior mistake of making it 30 cm too high on her first attempt. She even recreated my Moon Volley, Fuji's Higuma Otoshi and Marui's Tightrope Walking. She makes everyone want to become stronger because she grows so fast. She's really a wonderful Pillar. Not only has she made Seigaku members want to become stronger, she's also made Hyotei and Rikkaidai want to grow stronger too. Now, she is not only Seigaku's Pillar, but she also became Seiyou tennis club's Pillar. Tezuka, I'm so proud of her. We are all proud of her. However, she is taking too much burden on her shoulders. She is still our youngest one in the team. Up until now, she was doing fine. But with what happened to Yukimura, she__…__'_

Ooishi didn't finish the last sentence, but Tezuka could tell what Ooishi meant.

Tezuka fixed his eyes on one sentence.

_'__…__she is taking too much burden on her shoulders__…__' _

_'Echizen…'_ Tezuka thought.

A small window popped up on his screen.

_'You have a new message,'_ it said.

It was from Yukimura.

* * *

1) minna: everyone.


	48. An unexpected appearance

A/N: Sorry. It was updating "Everyday with Rin" because it was lagging very far behind. Anyway, here chapter 48.

* * *

Ryoma sat alone under a tree. She looked at the view before her but saw nothing. She was indifferent to everything - even the day's nice weather. A fresh breeze tried to call her out of her thinking, but failed.

_'Buchou… Yukimura-senpai…' _

"Ha…" Ryoma let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head onto her knees.

A hand touched her shoulder. Ryoma raised her head to see Jirou, who was smiling to her.

"Jirou-senpai…"

Jirou sat next to her on the grass and put his arms around his knees. He didn't say anything. Ryoma was grateful for his silence. She rested her chin on her crossed arms over her knees. They stood like that for a very long time. Finally, Ryoma talked.

"I feel so bad. If Tezuka-buchou had seen me at this moment, he would been so disappointed…" She hide her face. "And probably Yukimura-senpai too…"

"What makes you think so?" Jirou asked.

". . ." Ryoma kept silence for a moment. "Before Tezuka-buchou left, he told me he wants me to be Seigaku's Pillar…" She paused. "A pillar is what supports things and people. A pillar is strong…" Silence. "I'm not strong enough… When I'm suppose to support everyone - especially now, considering what's happening with Yukimura-sempai - I can't do anything… I've failed Tezuka-buchou's expectation of me…" She rested her forehead on her knees, hiding her face. "This is not how a pillar should behave…" She let out another heavy sigh. "And with what happens to Yukimura-senpai, I…"

"Echizen-chan," Jirou spoke, "Tezuka was never wrong in his decision. If he choose you to be his pillar, then it means that you really deserve to be his pillar. And everyone agrees with Tezuka's choice in you. But a pillar is also a person. It has its up and down like everyone does. The only difference between a normal person and a pillar is how the pillar brings himself/herself up when he/she is down. After the training camp, even when believing that you had already been dropped from the regulars, you didn't give yourself into discouragement. You even worked harder than expected from you, and much harder than everyone put together. The result of your work brought Sakaki-coach's and everyone's approbation of you. That just proved to everyone that Tezuka's choice in you as his pillar was a very good choice."

"But now, I can't help anyone in their depression because of what happened to Yukimura-senpai and because of the absence of buchou. Even myself - I can't even support my own self… I feel like such a failure…"

"As I said, Echizen-chan, you are also a person. You have the right to be down sometime. I understand that being chosen as a pillar put pressure on you, but Tezuka believes that you can rise above it. That's why he choose you. Thus, you must rise above. If you don't, then Tezuka really would be disappointed."

". . ."

The light of life in Ryoma's eyes flared up once again.

_'That's right, Echizen-chan. That's how it should be,' _Jirou though when he saw it. He smiled, very happy at the result he had received.

Behind his back, Jirou made a V sign. The people who were watching them behind a bush and a tree saw it.

-

"Jirou, he knew we were here," Kirihara whispered in light surprise.

"Well, it's not surprising from him," Marui muttered in return. "He is Hyotei's sleeping tensai."

"Though it is surprising," Niou said. "How did he know we were here?"

"That's a very good question. He's always asleep," Ootori said.

"But it seems like he succeeded in cheering up Ochibi-chan," Kikumaru exclaimed happily.

Fuji, a little farther behind the rest, saw Jirou's V sign as well. He smiled.

_'Jirou, thank you.'_

Between geniuses, Fuji knew very well that the sign was specially intended for him.

-

Back to Ryoma and Jirou.

"You know what, Echizen-chan, I think I know exactly what you can do for Tezuka and for Yukimura," Jirou commented thoughtfully.

"What?"

Jirou smiled.

* * *

"Iku yo, Ryoma-chan! (1)" Fuji said.

Ryoma took position, alert. She was playing against Fuji Syuusuke. She doubled her attention. Fuji threw the ball and served.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Ryoma immediately replied at the moment the ball hit Fuji's racket.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

-

"Fiouuu!" Ootori whistled as he watched them. "Fuji is not holding himself back! Even against a girl!"

"Well, Echizen-chan won't like it if Fuji withheld himself from going full force on her," Marui said.

"But even if Fuji is seriously playing with her, he is not using all his potential," Niou commented.

"Even if Echizen-chan is leading, I have the impression that the one who is controlling the game is Fuji," Shishido agreed.

"It's like Fuji is trying to draw something out from her," Hiyoshi said.

"I agree with you," Gakuto said, nodding his head.

Jirou smiled as he heard them.

_'Nicely observed,'_ he thought.

-

_'So this is how you feel when you play against Fuji-senpai,' _Ryoma thought.

She felt a strange excitement each time Fuji returned her her ball. This kind of excitement was very different from all the others she had experienced while playing tennis. It was nothing like the joy she felt when she played against Ryoga and Nanjirou. With her brother and her father, each time they marked a point, she felt frustrated. But with Fuji, each time he marked, she wasn't frustrated. Instead, she felt utterly excited and thrilled.

_'I want to play more!'  
_

She smiled. She forgot about her previous sadness. Her eyes were shining again. Fuji saw it.

_'That's right, Ryoma-chan. This is how you must feel right now. You must feel joy, and not sadness and loneliness!'_

It was exactly what he was aiming for from the beginning of the game.

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Fuji launched a Tsubame Gaeshi.

Ryoma immediately ran after it, a big smile on her face. No one could tell that she was playing a real match against tensai Fuji Syuusuke.

From afar, Yanagi and Inui watched her. Sanada and Ooishi were watching too. Ooishi and him just had a little talk about Ryoma.

-

"Game set. Won by Fuji Syuusuke. 6-4!" the referee called.

"Ha!… Ha!… Ha!…" Ryoma panted. She was sat on the ground, her arms supporting her upper body. "I… I… I lost… Ha!… Ha!… Ha!"

_'But it was really fun!' _she smiled.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji said, smiling as well. He had crossed the court and was now in front of her. He bent down to her level and held out his hand to her. "Here, let me help you."

"Ah," Ryoma took his hand. "Arigatou, senpai."

Fuji pulled her up, but kept her hand in his.

"I lost, but I had a lot of fun. Thank you, senpai," Ryoma beamed, smiling widely.

Fuji didn't answer, but he smiled too. He squeezed her hand in his.

"Yosh! That's enough! Regulars, gather!" Ryuuzaki-sensei called.

Fuji let go of Ryoma's hand and everybody gathered in line.

"I want you to welcome someone," Sakaki-coach said.

The fence of the tennis court opened. Everyone turned their head to the sound. A young man claded in the blue and white tennis uniform of Seigaku stepped in the court. It was…

"Buchou!/Tezuka!" the regulars exclaimed happily.

It was Tezuka. Tezuka walked to stand in front of everyone, next to Sakaki-coach.

"The National Championship Final will be next week. Tomorrow, the ranking tournament for the qualified regulars will start. This time, Tezuka will be here too. Don't let your guard down," Sakaki-coach said. "Dismissed!"

"Hai!" the tennis club answered.

Sakaki-coach and Ryuuzaki-sensei left the court. As soon as they stepped out, the regulars clustered around Tezuka, Seigaku leading at the front.

"Tezuka-buchou!" Momoshiro shouted.

"Fssssssssssh! Buchou."

"Tezuka!" Kawamura said.

"Tezuka! You're back!" Kikumaru exclaimed, jumping wildly in excitement. "Are you completely heal?"

"Tezuka," Fuji simply called.

"Welcome back, Tezuka," Ooishi said, smiling kindly. "We all miss you."

"Minna, arigatou," Tezuka said.

But strangely, Ryoma didn't greet him like the other Seigaku. She just stood there, immobilized and frozen on the spot. She stared blindly at Tezuka.

". . ."

"Echizen-chan, what's wrong?" Marui asked, peering down at her.

"Aren't you happy to see Tezuka again?" Niou asked as well, sending her a questioning gaze.

Ryoma didn't answer. Everybody looked at her.

"Echizen," Tezuka said.

"Bu-buchou…" she trailed off.

She shut her eyes, tears running out from the corner of her eyes. Suddenly, she ran and launched herself at him. She closed her arms around him and buried her face into his chest, crying.

"Ah!" Tezuka yelped, caught by surprise.

"Buchou!" Ryoma cried, snuggling her face against him.

Watching them, people thought it was the image of a child happy to see her father back home again after a very long time of absence. However, there was only a three year age difference between said "father" figure and "child".

"Buchou!" Ryoma cried out once more.

Recovering from his surprise, Tezuka patted her head, smiling indulgently. The regulars smiled at the scene. It had been so long since she last saw him. Ryoma cried like a baby while hugging Tezuka.

_'After all, she is the baby of Seigaku!'_ the regulars thought.

This time, Kirihara and Ootori didn't feel the urge to separate Ryoma from 'the old man'. They understood she had missed him very much. They were smiling as well as they watched them hug one another. Fuji, too, was smiling.

_'Ryoma-chan, I'm very happy for you,'_ Fuji thought.

Tezuka, still smiling, let her cry as much as she needed. He remembered the very short email Yukimura had sent him.

_'Tezuka, you must come back now. _

_They need you. _

_She needs you.'_

* * *

1) iku yo: I'm going to do it, let's go.


	49. Ryoma vs Yukimura: Painful Final

A/N: Many of you had to tell me about my grammar mistakes and stuff. I'm sorry for the pain you took and I'm also grateful to you because I could correct them. As for the beta-reader, I have one. However, the person had stop beta-reading this fanfic from chapter 37. I think that I scare her because of my weekly update. That's too sad. She told me she wouldn't give up when she first proposed to be my beta-reader. I had warned her of the weekly update though. The beta-reader before her did the same thing too. Both of them had stop beta reading without telling me. I once had a good beta-reader, who always do a nice job. Alas, she had stopped too because of school. But she told me when she decided to stop. She was the only one who told me. I'm very unlucky with beta-readers.

Then, I will try again. Is there anyone who would like to beta-read this fanfiction? If you want, then send me a message. But this time, I also add this request. If you wish to stop beta-ing, then please let me know before stopping. Or you want to stop for a certain period and do it again after because of school or any other reasons, it is also fine. But just tell me, just let me know. I was always wondering myself if my current beat-reader want to continue beta reading or not? If she only let a message telling that she quick, I would feel more free to search for someone else. It's kind of strange to search for a beta-reader when you already have one. But since my current beta-reader didn't give me any news after chapter 37, I think that she decide to stop beta-ing. Thus, I post the request. Anyone interest to fill the position?

But now, let's talk about more interesting thing! For those who had read "Everything started from that day", probably you know about the sequel "Everyday with Rin", the story of the daughter of Fuji and Ryoma. It's completed! Yayyyyyyy! Please, if you have time, read that one too and tell me what you think about it!

And by the way, the ending of the school is coming with its examinations. Until the half of June, there is a possibility that I cannot post one chapter per week, but maybe one per two weeks. I'm sorry, but I have to put more times for the preparation to the exams. But I _**WILL**_ try to keep it one per week, though I cannot guaranty anything. If you don't see a new chapter after 7 days, at least I want you to know the real reason for the lateness.

And here, chapter 49 for you!

Enjoy!

* * *

Ryoma faced Yukimura on the tennis court. Both of them were watching each other. No one made a move or a sound. It was the final match which would decide who will the Champion of the Nationals: Seiyou or Genhoujii. Seiyou lost the two first games. The third game; Genhoujii and Seiyou had forfeited so it wasn't counted. Tezuka; healed, brought the first point to Seiyou.

* * *

Flashback

"Single 3. Genhoujii Chuu's Iryia Jun vs Seiyou Academy's Tezuka Kunimitsu!" the referee called.

"Ehhhhhhhhh!" Seigaku members shouted.

"Tezuka-buchou, weren't you supposed to play against Yukimura-senpai?" Momoshiro asked.

". . ." Tezuka pick up his racket. "Echizen, be prepared."

End flashback

* * *

Fuji won the second match for Seiyou. The last and final deciding match was left to Ryoma against Yukimura.

Ryoma was facing Yukimura.

_'So this is what Tezuka-buchou meant by preparing myself…'_ Ryoma thought.

She watched the teal-hair boy in front of her.

_'Yukimura-senpai…' _

* * *

Flashback

"Listen to me, Echizen," Tezuka said. "I understand that you would want to help Yukimura and purposely let him win. But know this: if you do that, Yukimura would be hurt. You have pride of a tennis player, and so Yukimura. No matter what, play everything you have against him. Don't hold yourself back. Don't hesitate. Do you understand me, Echizen?"

". . ." Ryoma didn't answer, but it was evident that she was in turmoil.

"Echizen, do as Tezuka told you," Atobe said.

"Everything else, leave them to us. Don't worry about Yukimura or anything for now. Just win," Yagyuu said.

"H-hai…" Ryoma weakly answered.

_'She is still hesitating,' _Tezuka, Atobe and Yagyuu thought.

Fuji, who was sat on a bench, rose up and uncrossed his arms. He walked toward Ryoma and stopped right in front of her.

" . . ." Neither Ryoma nor Fuji said anything.

Fuji raised his hand and took Ryoma's chin between his fingers. He leaned his face down to her and opened his eyes. Ryoma froze, struck be the outstanding cerulean orbs. But she also froze because of the proximity between him and her. And their faces were only a few centimeters apart.

"Fu-Fuji-… senpai…?" Ryoma stuttered.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji started in a deep voice. "Listen well to me."

Ryoma gulped. She had the impression that his eyes possessed some strange power. It seemed to her that the color pigments composing his eyes were dancing like the wind, like a calm wind spirit surfing in the sky, slowly, at the pace it liked.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji talked again. "You know that Yukimura had always wanted the third victory to Seiyou, right?" Ryoma slowly nodded, though not very much because of her chin in his fingers. "You know that Yukimura had always work very hard to bring the Nationals to Seiyou, right?" Ryoma nodded again. "You must also know that Yukimura would do anything for Seiyou, right?" Ryoma nodded again. "Though Yukimura is not with us, do you understand that he also wants this victory for Seiyou?" This time, Ryoma didn't nod.

". . ." She wasn't replying anything.

"Ryoma-chan," Fuji spoke again, but in a more gentle and soft voice this time. "Yukimura had always dream to bring the Nationals to Seiyou for all his high school career. He succeeds to bring the school two victories, but the third one didn't go in the path he wanted it to be. However, Yukimura would never wanted his dream to be different just because he wasn't with us. Ryoma-chan, though Yukimura is now our opponent, he still didn't give up his true goal. Ryoma-chan, you must carry the last step of his goal for him. You must carry the last step of his dream for him. Though, Yukimura wants to save his family business, but deep inside him, his wish is different. You must do it for him. Don't disappoint his hopes in you. Don't let him down."

"Fuji-senpai…"

"Do you understand now, Ryoma?" Fuji added, skipping the suffix.

"H-hai…" Ryoma hesitantly answered, but it was different from the "hai" she gave to Yagyuu.

Fuji smiled. Then, he bend down to her ear.

"Ganbatte (1) ne!" he softly said. By the same time, he brushed his warm lips against her cheek.

Ryoma's cheeks flushed red, dumbfounded. She was froze again. She didn't know what to think because she was so surprised. Luckily, Sanada saved her.

"Echizen," Sanada interrupted. "Do it for Yukimura! Win for Yukimura!"

"Hai!" she answered determinedly.

End flashback

* * *

_'Echizen-chan, I cannot let you win this game!' _Yukimura's eyes were telling her.

Ryoma gripped harder her racket. She turned her head to where her teammates were. Tezuka, Atobe and Sanada nodded to her.

_'You must do it!' _their eyes were telling her.

"Genhoujii against Seiyou Academy. Yukimura Seiichi vs Echizen Ryoma; one set match. Yukimura to serve!" the referee called.

* * *

"Genhoujii Yukimura. 2-0!" the referee called.

". . ." All Seiyou regulars watched in silence Ryoma.

"Ochibi-chan…" Kikumaru said in a painful voice.

It was clear that Yukimura was winning.

Ryoma used everything she had to play against him, but she couldn't mark a point. Every single special technique didn't work against him. It was also true that Yukimura knew all of her special moves and techniques. However, Ryoma didn't see him use any of his play style before. Thus, she couldn't clearly picture his strength and couldn't work a way against him. She was in a disadvantageous position.

"Genhoujii Yukimura. 3-0!"

_'Echizen/Ryoma-chan…'_ Tezuka and Fuji thought.

_'Echizen, you are stronger than that! So do it!' _Atobe thought.

"Echizen/Ochibi! You can do it!" the teammates cheered.

Ryoma was exhausted. She used all her strength in the Muga no Kiouchi. She tried to save some strength by activating the Muga no Kiouchi only time by time, but it wasn't enough.

"15-love!"

"Ha… Ha… Ha…" Ryoma panted heavily.

She was on one knee, trying to recuperate.

_'Urgh!'_ she closed her eyes. _'Using Muga no Kiouchi takes too much stamina from me. I feel tired and all my muscles aching. If only I can use Muga no Kiouchi in only one part of my body…'_

She concentrated, measuring the energy still left in her. There was a substantial dose left. She must make a good use of it. She concentrated harder, gathering some energy in one body part, in her left arm, the one she used to hold her racket.

"Service! Yukimura!"

Ryoma stood up, took the position of the receiver. She stabilized the accumulation of energy in her left arm. Yukimura served. Ryoma swung her racket and the guts met with the ball.

.

"What? She returns it! That's impossible!" a player of Genhoujii shouted.

"Hy-Hy-Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami…" Ootori stuttered, eyes wide, like everybody on Seiyou bench side.

"Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami, the Achievement of Refined Effort, a technique allowing the player to collect explosive power in its left arm," Inui muttered while scribbling in his notebook.

"It's the same thing as Tezuka-buchou!" Momoshiro said.

"Fsssssssssssssssssssh!"

.

Ryoma returned another ball from Yukimura, but Yukimura immediately send it back in the opposition direction Ryoma thought he would send. She wasn't fast enough on her legs.

"30-15! Yukimura!"

_'It's not enough! I must also use my legs!' _Ryoma thought.

Ryoma concentrated again. This time, she sent her energy in her left leg. She reached Yukimura's ball in time and switched the energy back in her left arm.

"Hyaaaaaaaaah!"

.

"Ah! She is not using Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami only in her left arm, but also in her left leg?" Kirihara shouted.

"Uso!" Gakuto said.

"Hey! It's in her right hand now!" Shishido pointed to Ryoma's arm as she returned a shot.

"I didn't know that Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami can be used in that way," Oshitari said.

"Me either," Yanagi said while Inui recorded the play in his camera.

.

"1-3! Echizen!"

Yukimura frowned, not pleased.

"Service, Echizen!"

Ryoma threw the ball. Yukimura fixed his eyes on her. Ryoma jumped and hit her ball. The ball flew across the net… and hit the wall behind Yukimura.

"40-30! Yukimura!"

.

"Eh? What happen?" Shishido asked. "Echizen never missed such a ball!"

"Masaka… Don't tell me that Yukimura…" Niou muttered between his teeth.

.

_'Ah!' _Ryoma frightened. _'What…? What happen? Everything is dark! I cannot see anything!'_

"4-0. Yukimura!"

_'It's not time to panic! I must make my way back!'_

"Service. Yukimura!"

Yukimura served. Ryoma's ear picked the sound of ball dashing to her.

.

"Hey! It's strange!" Gakuto said. "Though she returns Yukimura's ball, but her eyes are not focus. It's like she cannot see anything!"

"That's true!" Kikumaru confirmed, his eyes on fixed Ryoma.

". . ." Yagyuu and Yanagi went silence. They knew what it meant.

"I was fearing this…" Niou muttered.

"Yukimura is using his ESP against her…" Oshitari said.

"What! You mean that Yukimura took her sight away from her?" Shishido asked.

"It seems so," Hiyoshi said.

"And just a few minute ago, it was her sense of touch that Echizen lost, when she hit three missed balls in a row," Inui said. "She can't no longer judge what it the exact level of strength she needs to return a ball."

.

A ball flew near Ryoma's ear and hit the wall behind her. She didn't hear it come.

"15-love! Yukimura!"

.

". . ."

On Seiyou bench, everybody were in silence.

"She now lost her sense of hearing," Ootori said.

.

"30-love! Yukimura!"

But Ryoma didn't hear anything. In panic, she moved around and stumbled to her legs. She fell.

"Echizen/Ryoma!" the regulars and Yuuta shouted.

Ryoma didn't move. She lay lifeless on the ground. People shouted around her, but she wasn't moving nor she heard them.

Everything was dead to her.

* * *

1) ganbatte: Do your best.


	50. Ryoma vs Yukimura: Remember

From last time…

Ryoma didn't move. She lay lifeless on the ground. People shouted around her, but she wasn't moving nor she heard them.

Everything was dead to her.

* * *

Somewhere else.

_'What is this place? Where am I? Where is everybody?'_ Ryoma asked. No one answered back to her. Ryoma stood up. She walked around a little bit. There wasn't anything around her. It was only an empty world. She was in a strange world.

'_Why am I here? What was I doing_…_?' _Ryoma looked around again. There was nothing.

_'…That's right… I was playing against Yukimura-senpai…'_ Ryoma sadden. _'Yukimura-senpai…' _She remembered his face each time he hit a ball.

_'Yukimura-senpai… He looked so much in pain… He wasn't enjoying himself…' _Ryoma clutched her heart. _'For a reason I don't know, each time he grimaced, I felt a stab in my heart and I can't feel happy… I also remembered that I didn't want my ball to cross the net again… Why does it feel so painful?' _Ryoma dropped to her knees. The pain she felt from Yukimura made her forget something. She forgot something important.

_'Why-why am I playing tennis again…?' _She clutched her head.

_'Why do I always play tennis?' _She remembered the pain, the fright and the fear she felt each time she returned Yukimura's ball. She trembled at the memory, feeling cold, very cold. She shut her eyes, tightening her arms around her to make herself stop shaking.

_'I-… I don't want to play anymore! It feels too painful playing tennis! I don't want to play anymore!'_

_'Ryoma…'_ a voice called her. A deep voice sounded very familiar to her. Ryoma snapped her eyes open. In front of her, a light was taking form. Slowly, the light revealed someone.

A monk.

_'Oyajii…'_ Ryoma recognized Nanjirou in the light.

_'Ryoma, is tennis fun?'_ Nanjirou asked her. Ryoma frowned.

_'Is tennis… fun?'_ Ryoma repeated his question, dumbfounded.

_'Remember… Remember when you were young…?'_ Nanjirou said again.

_'When__… When__ I was__…__ young…?'_

* * *

Flashback

"Are you done now?" Nanjirou asked, smirking.

On the other side of the court, a little girl, kneeled on the ground, slowly grabbed her white cap, which had fallen of her head. Determinedly, she put it back on her head, pulling the front to the side.

Ryoga, who was watching them, wondered why she always wore that cap, which was obviously too big for her small head. It was an old cap he possessed before. He intended to throw it away, when he had a new idea to make fun of her. He gave it to her, telling her it was a gift for a growing little girl. He told her the cap was magical that turn the person who wore it to grow taller. Ryoma believed him, beliving that one day she would be as tall as him if she wore the cap. And even taller! From that day, Ryoga never saw her without it on her head, unless she was inside the house.

"Argggggggh!" the little girl grunted. She spun on herself, facing Nanjirou.

Ryoma was surprised how much the little girl looked like her when she was young herself.

"Mada mada! (3)" the little girl said.

Nanjirou smirked again as he watched the little girl in front of him. Behind her, the court was covered with numerous balls she failed to return. The little girl returned his smirk. She ran to the ball which was served to her.

End flashback

* * *

The image of the little girl ran across Ryoma. Her obviously big smile was impossible to miss.

_'Ryoma, is tennis fun?'_ Nanjirou asked again.

_'Is tennis… fun?'_ Ryoma repeated again. Ryoma could hear the giggling laugh of the little girl echoing around her.

_"Hahahahaha!"_

* * *

Flashback

"Hahahahaha! Again, again, again, Aniki! Again!" the little girl squealed.

"Here you go, Chibisuke! Twist Serve!"

End flashback

* * *

_"Hahahahaha!" _the little girl's laugh resounded in Ryoma's head again.

.

_'She looks to be so enjoying herself…'_ Ryoma though.

_'Remember when you were young…?' _Nanjirou said again. His image changed. His hair were long and tight up in a high ponytail. He wore a white headband on his forehead, his hand holding a racket. It was Echizen Nanjirou of many years ago when he was in America. It was Samourai Nanjirou.

_'Is tennis fun?'_ Samurai Nanjirou asked Ryoma again.

Pictures flashbacked in her head. All pictures of a little girl playing tennis against her big brother and her father. They were all pictures picked by the mother of the little. The day the little girl had her first racket. A picture of her running after a ball in the morning. A picture of her chasing after a ball on noon. A shot of her with a serious face, waiting for Nanjirou to serve. A picture of her arguing with Ryoga over who shot a ball first. A picture of the two bickering kids in front of an annoyed Nanjirou, who no longer had no idea of how to stop them. A picture of her hugging her yellow ball-cushion in her nap, her racket in her other hand.

_'That little girl__… It__'s me!'_ Ryoma recognized the little girl. On all the pictures, little Ryoma was grinning ear to ear.

_._

_'Hahahaha!'_ Little Ryoma's laughed echoed in Ryoma's head again.

_._

_'Is tennis fun?' _Samourai Nanjirou asked again.

_'Tennis is…'_

.

"It's over, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said as he watched the immobilized girl in front of him. He close his eyes and turned his back to her.

.

_'That's right! Remember, Ryoma!' _Nanjirou said.

"Tennis is…" Ryoma slowly trailed. Her hand twitched, her fingers closing around the handle of her racket.

.

_'Come on, Chibisuke! You can do it! Return my ball!' _Ryoga's voice echoed in her head.

.

"Tennis is…" she said again. Her body moved. Slowly, she tried to stand up. Yukimura, feeling something different with his ESP, spun on himself to see Ryoma trying to stand up.

_'What? She still can continue?'_ Yukimura was shocked. He wasn't the only one. Everybody in the court, including the spectators, were shocked.

"She still can move? No way!" a player from Genhoujii said.

.

_'Yaaaaaaay! I did it! I did it! I return a ball! Yay! Yay! Yaaaaaaaaay!' _the little girl squealed, dancing on her small legs.

.

"Tennis is…" Ryoma repeated again.

.

_'Hahahahahaha!'_ the little girl laughed.

.

"Tennis is…!" she slowly opened her eyes. Her senses were coming back to her.

.

"Ahhhh!" Momoshiro and Kirihara said.

"Ochibi-chan! She is… She is… She is awakening!" Kikumaru said.

"Fssssssssssssssh!"

"She broke Yukimura's hypnotize on her," Shishido said.

"Hm," Ootori nodded.

"That's… That's… That's…" Niou stuttered.

"That's the first time I've seen someone breaking Yukimura's ESP," Marui completed for them. Sanada was speechless.

.

"Tennis is fun!" Ryoma brightly said, her smile wide ear to ear.

* * *

"Tennis is fun!"

**_Thump!_**

_'Ah!'_

Ryoma felt her heart stopped beating. Next, all the activities in her body stopped. Then, there was a strange wave of power departing from her heart and spread throughout her whole body.

.

From the spectators seats:

"Heeeh… So she finally awoke, Oyajii!" Ryoga said, watching his little sister with a smile.

"Ah! About time!" Nanjirou said, a proud smirk on his face.

"Ryoma…" Rinko softly smiled.

"Meow!" Karupin, nested in Rinko's arms, said.

"Ganbatte, Ryoma-chan!" Nanako cheered. "You can do it!"


	51. Ryoma vs Yukimura: Decisive Final

A/N: Surprise! Surprise! Here is the chapter 51 before the end of the week for you. Actually, this chapter was originally also in chapter 50. But the first version I wrote of the chapter 50 was too long, so I cut it. And it had been beta-ed by WingsofHaine (deep _boooooow_)! Now, you no longer have to suffer from my bad grammar!

Here enjoy!

* * *

From last time…

"Tennis is fun!" Ryoma said brightly, her smile widening from ear to ear.

_**Thump!**_

_'Ah!'_

Ryoma felt her heart stop beating followed by all the activities in her body. Then, there was a strange wave of power departing from her heart that spread throughout her from head to toe.

.

From the spectator's seats.

"Heeeh… So she's finally awake, oyajii!" Ryoga said, watching her with a smile.

"Ah! About time!" Nanjirou said, a proud smirk on his face.

"Ryoma…" Rinko softly smiled.

"Meow!" Karupin, nestled in Rinko's arms, said.

"Ganbatte, Ryoma-chan!" Nanako cheered.

* * *

The strange thing happening in her body finally stopped. Ryoma stood, immobilized, but she felt incredibly light. Her body no longer felt heavy and her muscles were no longer aching. Ryoma slowly straightened her head.

"Service. Echizen!" the referee called.

Ryoma bounced the ball. Yukimura prepared himself to receive. His eyes were fixed on Ryoma who jumped. Yukimura then saw her walk away.

_'Huh? What is she doing?'_

Then Yukimura's ear pick up a sound coming from behind his right shoulder. Yukimura turned around to see the ball rolling on itself.

_'What? How…?'_ Yukimura gulped, dumbstruck.

". . ." Total silence reigned on the court.

No one saw Ryoma hitting her ball. Yet it was already on the other side of the court.

"Hey, the referee! Are you going to call or not!" Kirihara shouted, fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Momoshiro cheered. "Call already!"

"Mo-… Mo-… Monitor!" the referee stuttered.

"Ah… Hai!" the monitor said.

The monitor immediately rewound the video and put the images of the ball Ryoma served in slow motion.

"It's… It's… It's in!" the monitor said.

"Ah…" the referee said, dumbstruck. He cleared his throat and called, "15-love. Echizen!"

"What? They need the monitor to know if the ball was in or not!" Gakuto said.

"Uso!" Kikumaru said.

.

"1-4. Echizen!"

"What?" a player of Genhoujii snarled. "That Yukimura! He let her take one point straight!"

.

"But how? How did she managed to take a point straight from Yukimura?" Hiyoshi asked.

"There is only one explanation I can find," Yagyuu mumbled.

"Then what is it?" Oshitari asked.

"Echizen has awaken to Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami," Yanagi answered, "the Pinnacle of Perfection. It's the only plausible explanation on how she broke Yukimura's ESP."

.

"3-4. Echizen!"

.

"Yay! Ochibi-chan is coming back!" Kikumaru cheered, dancing like a monkey.

"Ohhhh!" Momoshiro and Kirihara also cheered, joining him in the dance. They made a round of dancing monkeys.

"Atobe, shouldn't you join them too?" Ootori asked, pointing to the round of monkeys.

_Pop! Twitch!_

A twitching red vein appeared on Atobe's head but he didn't reply back.

.

"5-4! Echizen!"

.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Genhoujii players roared.

"Yukimura, remember. Your family business is in my hands," Torada threatened menacingly.

Torada's words crushed Yukimura's heart like a cold iron hand, leaving Yukimura's will aching.

_'No! I cannot let you win, Echizen-chan!'_ Yukimura thought. _'The sort of my family depends on this game!'_

"Haaaaaaaa!" Yukimura desperately yelled as he served fiercely.

"15-love. Yukimura!" the referee called.

"That's the way, Yukimura," Torada said.

.

Ryoma watched Yukimura, watching his desperate face. She heard the despair in his voice.

_'Yukimura-senpai…'_

.

"Haaaaaaaaaa!" Yukimura marked again.

"30-love! Yukimura!"

.

Immediately, Sanada's words echoed in her head.

_'Do it for Yukimura! Win for Yukimura!'_

.

Ryoma replied.

"15-30! Echizen!"

.

_'I'm not going to give up!' _both Ryoma and Yukimura thought.

.

"30-all!"

.

_'I must win this game!' _

.

"40-30!"

.

_'For Yukimura-senpai/my family!'_

.

"40-all!"

.

_'And for me!' _the two of them thought.

Yukimura hit, sending the ball too high to be returned.

"Ah! It's too high! She can't reach it!" Gakuto shouted.

_'He is right. It's too high for me!' _Ryoma thought_. _

Knowing Yukimura, the ball would certainly land on the line of the baseline, making it impossible to return.

_'There is only one way left:_ _I must return it before it falls!'_

Suddenly fire lit up in Ryoma's heart. Ryoma ran to the referee chair and climbed onto it. Using the arm chair as a support, she jumped and reached the level of the ball. Ryoma hit it, making a cord ball. Because of the high spin she put into it, the friction of the ball against the net sliced the it in two. The two halves headed in high speed towards Yukimura's court.

Yukimura immediately responded. He returned the fastest half first, then ran to the other half, returning it before it touch the ground.

_'Ah! Shimatta! (1)' _Yukimura thought. Unfortunately, he didn't calculate the trajectory of the two halves very well. _'She got me!' _

Ryoma knew Yukimura wouldn't be surprised by the ball splitting in two and that he would quickly react, so she made sure that the two halves would be sent to where she wanted them to be: the two halves met face to face in the air. She jumped.

"Samurai Drive!" she shouted and shot.

The ball split in two and landed behind Yukimura at the same time hitting each corner of the single court.

"Game and match. Echizen! 6-4!"

"Wooooooooaw!" Seiyou tennis club roared.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Genhoujii screamed out of anger and bitterness, especially Torada.

"Seiyou Academy is the champion of the National Championship!" the referee declared.

"We won! We won! Yaaaayyyyy!" Kirihara, Kikumaru and Momoshiro cheered, making again the round of monkeys. But this time, Ootori, Marui, Niou and Gakuto also joined in.

"Yay yay yaaaaayyyy!"

* * *

Ryoma was exhausted. The Ten'i Muhou shut down. Now, she felt the raging fatigue of her muscles and her body.

"Ahhhh…" she sighed, letting out her tiredness.

She let herself fall backward but was lifted up by many arms before she hit the ground.

"You did it, Echizen/Ochibi!"

Normally, Ryoma would tell them to put her down. However, due to her exhaustion, she couldn't find enough energy to do so.

"Yahoooooooo!" the boys screamed as they threw her into the air.

Despite his loss, Yukimura let out a small smile upon seeing their joy, a little bit of sadness leaking in.

_'I should be on the other side of the net with them, but I can't,'_ Yukimura thought sadly.

Sanada, who was watching Yukimura, knew perfectly what Yukimura was thinking.

_'Yukimura…' _Sanada thought.

* * *

After the Final victory ceremony. Alone, somewhere in the park.

Yukimura faced Torada.

"Why you stupid girly-boy! This is all your fault!" Torada viciously snarled.

Yukimura held himself back, not saying anything.

"You can't even win against a girl!" Torada continued. "You are really useless! If your dad is like you, then it's no wonder his business failed! You could have saved your family business by winning, but you lost. You ruined your family business. That's it! You can live with that in your conscious forever!"

Yukimura still said nothing. There was nothing to say.

_'Chichi, haha (2), forgive me… I failed…'_ Yukimura thought.

"Hey, you lowlife!" a voice snapped.

Yukimura and Torada turned around to see Ryoma.

"Echizen-chan!" Yukimura said, surprised.

Ryoma ran straight to Yukimura and stopped in front of Torada. She used her body to make a wall between Yukimura and Genhoujii captain.

"What do you want, you mongrel!" Torada snarled at Ryoma.

"It's not Yukimura-senpai's fault that you lost! It's your own fault!" Ryoma said, looking straight to the tall boy in front of her. "Instead of using that lowly plan of yours to win, you should have practiced harder! But stealing the best player of your opponent's team for your own just shows how weak and low you are. You're not a true sportsman! That's why you lost, you dimwit! You deserve to lose, that's it!"

"What? Why you… you little…" Torada angrily growled.

He made a step toward Ryoma and looked down menacingly at her.

"Echizen-chan! No!" Yukimura called out, trying to make her step back for fear of what Torada would do to her.

Yukimura was right in his assumption. Torada raised his hand in order to strike Ryoma but his arm was stopped before he could touch her.

"AHHHHHHH!" Torada yelled out in pain due to the strong iron grip that was currently twisting his arm.

"Kabaji! Good timing!" Yukimura said, relieved, as he let out the breath he had been holding.

"Usu!"

"Aaaaaah! Let me go! Let me go!" Torada yelled, but Kabaji didn't release his hold. "Let me go! Let me go, you monster! Let me go! Aaaaaaaah!"

Kabaji still didn't release the arm held within his grasp. Torada turned his head to Yukimura.

"That's it! You're finished now! You and your family!" he snarled.

Kabaji twisted harder his arm harder to make him shut up.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Kabaji!" Atobe called as he appeared next to Yukimura.

"Usu!"

Kabaji jerked Torada away, throwing him onto the dirt. Then, turning over, he picked Ryoma up by her arms and carried her to Atobe. He put her down in the safe zone, far away from Torada, and stood next to Yukimura. Soon, Yuuta and the remaining members of the Seiyou regulars joined them.

"Echizen!"

"Echizen!"

"Echizen!"

"Echizen-chan!"

"Ryoma!"

"Ochibi! Ochibi! Ochi_biiiiiii_, daijou_buuuuuu!_ (3)" Kikumaru wailed, panicking.

Glomp! He crushed her into his arms.

"Oupfffffff!"

_'I was okay before you started suffocating me!'_

"You rotten apple! What were you going to do to her?" Kirihara shouted, fists raised to Torada.

"You dirty scum!" Momoshiro added.

"Fsssssh! If you've touched her, I will make you pay a thousand times the same pain everyday of your life!" Kaido threatened, his voice in a low snarl.

"Didn't your parents teach you to never raise a hand on a girl?" Gakuto said.

"It's not Gekokujou!" Hiyoshi said.

"Attacking a girl! That's so dishonorable for a man!" Ootori exclaimed.

"You don't even deserve to be called a man!" Niou rebuked, his disgust almost tangible.

"Low!" Marui said.

"So low!" Shishido agreed.

"You're the lowest of them all," Hiyoshi finished.

"How dare you…?" Ryoga growled. No one saw him appearing. "Raising a hand against her… You… you… you…" Ryoga growled again, watching Torada with fire in his eyes. He was unable to find a word strong enough to describe his disgust toward the despicable lowlife. He stood in front of Ryoma, legs spread, fists closed, growling all the while. "Argh! Grrrrrrrrr!"

Something ran through Ryoga's legs straight to Torada.

Jump!

B_iiiiiiiiiiiiiiite_! Sharp fangs bite!

"Yiaaaaaaaah!" Torada let out a yell of agony once more.

_Scratch! Scratch! Scratch! !_

"Get away from me, stupid beast!"

Torada wanted to throw the white and brown feline against a tree to kill it but Karupin proved to be faster than him. His attacking job done, Karupin jumped away from Torada and ran to stand in front of Ryoga, forming a second living wall in order to protect his mistress.

"Maaaaawwwwrrrrr!" Karupin showed him his fangs, his claws out, his back arched. He was furiously hissing.

"I don't know who you are, but if you have lay a finger on my daughter, be sure you will meet me in the court room and I will send you to prison for the rest of your life!" Rinko said.

"Ryoma-chan, are you alright? Are you hurt in any way? Let me check you for injuries!" Nanako asked worriedly, checking Ryoma everywhere.

"I'm fine, Nanako-chan. He didn't touch me. I'm not hurt! Don't worry!" Ryoma said, reassuring her cousin.

"I was so scare for you, Ochibiiiiiii!" Kikumaru wailed, crushing her once more in his arms.

"Ou_pfffffffffffff!_"

"A person like you doesn't deserve to be called a tennis player. And certainly not a sportsman!" Nanjirou said, arms crossed, looking down on Torada with disgusted eyes.

Torada stood up, facing them, a hand covering his scratched face. He eyed Yukimura and Ryoma menacingly.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" He was frustrated and angry. He couldn't attack them like he wished to.

"You are finish, Yukimura! I will make my father put your family business into bankruptcy!"

"I don't think so," Fuji said as he appeared next to Atobe with Yagyuu, Tezuka, Sanada, Yanagi and Inui.

"Right now, it's your own family business which is going into bankruptcy," Yagyuu said.

"What are you talking about?" Torada asked.

"You didn't know? Your sponsors and partners have withdrawn their partnership with your father. He is now left alone to pay a huge debt from your business expenses," Yanagi explained.

"What? That's impossible! That's a lie!" Torada cried out in disbelief, shocked.

"If you don't believe me, then call your father and talk with him," Yanagi said.

Torada didn't want to believe him, but receiving confirmation wouldn't hurt either. He called his father.

"Dad, is it true that our sponsors and partners had withdrawn from the development project?" he asked.

While listening to his father explanations, Torada's face lost its color. After many minutes of conversation, his father hung up, trying to find a way to save at least something.

"H-how… How can it be…? Why did they suddenly withdraw with no explanations…?" Torada muttered.

"Because I told them," Fuji said.

"You… You told them? Who are you that you're able to make our partners withdraw like that?"

"So you don't know him? Now that explains your stupidity in attacking one of his friends. You should have done a little research about the people close to Yukimura before doing anything. That just shows how foolish you are. Yukimura is one of Fuji's close friends," Oshitari said. "This is Fuji Syuusuke, heir of the Fuji zaibatsu (4)."

"WHAT? Fu-… Fu-… Fuji… Syuusuke…? No! You can't be Fu-… Fu-… Fu-…"

"Fuji Syuusuke, the rising young tensai in the business world?" Gakuto said for him. "Yes, that's him alright. So you knew about him but didn't recognize him. How stupid of you. But now that you know that is him, you mustd also know that everything he says will influence the businessmen in their decision."

"Immediately after Fuji told your sponsors and your partners to withdraw from your father's development project, they did as Fuji said," Inui stated. "Your business development was nearly completed with all the expenses you made. However, it can only be completed with the condition that you still have your partners' and your sponsors' help and support. But as soon as they withdrew, they sold out the shares they hold of your family business and made the value of your stocks fall drastically."

"And right now…" Yagyuu continued as he held out a contract in his hand.

"…the one who you holds your family business is us," Atobe finished.

"We searched for all the people who possessed your stocks and shares and bought everything from them," Yagyuu explained. "With the value of your shares dropping so drastically, they happily sold out everything."

"Each of the four us hold a percentage of your family business," Tezuka said.

"Combined, we now hold forty five percent of your family business," Sanada finished.

"That's impossible! We only sold forty percent of our shares!" Torada said.

"Sadly, your father just sold five percent out in hopes of making its value raise again. And its me who bought the last five percent," Yagyuu said. "If you still don't believe me, call your father again."

". . ." Torada didn't need to call to know Yagyuu was telling the true. Such a deadly blowing attack! Calling his father to confirm the information would result in stabbing himself again by his own hands.

"Your father still doesn't know that it's us who possess his shares. And he still doesn't know that it was because of you that he lost his sponsors and partners," Yanagi said. "Unlike you, we will not play dirty like you did to us. We've already won the Nationals. We offer you a chance to save your family business. We propose you to do an exchange with us. Give us Yukimura's family business shares and we will give back yours. This is a very fair and equal exchange. If you accept, then sign a contract with us. Once it is signed, we'll go to see your father and make the exchange. If you don't, then I'll let you imagine what we will do with your shares in our hands."

". . ." Torada didn't answer.

"You should also be aware that you may have the Fuji zaibatsu, the Atobe zaibatsu and their friends on your back should you refuse," Yagyuu added.

_'This is not a proposition. This is extortion!' _Ootori, Momoshiro, Kirihara and Ryoga thought.

_'Fsssssshhhhhhhhh!'_

_'A underhand attack which is still legal in the law_…' Ryoga thought._ 'But still, Hiroshi, you'are actually pulling too hard on the lion's tail!'_ Ryoga thought.

_'Poor him! I don't want to be in his place!' _Shishido, Gakuto, Ryoma, Marui and Niou thought.

"I… I… I agree…" Torada said.

Yagyuu immediately presented him the contract he had prepared beforehand.

"Then sign here, please," Yagyuu said, handing him a pen. "You can ask your teammates to be your testimony." Yagyuu turned to Rinko and Nanjirou. "Echizen-san, Nanjirou-san, can you be our testimony please? Echizen-san, you, as a lawyer, will give the contract a stronger credibility."

"It'll be _**MY**_ pleasure!" Rinko said determinedly, still angry that Torada had wanted to hit Ryoma.

"Oh! And remember this, you stinky scum!" Ryoga said as Rinko took a pen from Yagyuu. "Kaa-san never lost a debate before in the courtroom. She is the Madonna of the court. You don't want to have her on your back too. So don't try anything dirty!"

"Meoooooooow!"

* * *

1) shimatta: Oh no!

2) chichi, haha: "Father, mother", when you talk about your own parents to people outside of your family.

3) daijoubu: Are you okay?

4) zaibatsu: corporation, business conglomerate.


	52. Party! Party! part 1

A/N: I was told that my FemRyo fanfic is bland, not good, and not exciting. And there was also another person who categorized this fanfiction as a Mary Sue story. Here, I have a few words for all of you.  
For people who hates bad and Mary Sue fanfics, then maybe you should close this page and not read this anymore. You might (highly probably) get very very very bored. You would also probably feel that I had ruined your day and I don't want to do that to you. I really do like writing this fanfic and I don't intent to stop writing it. I _WILL_ continue to write this fanfic until the end of the story.  
For people who think that this fanfic is still bearable to be read, even though it is not good or exciting, I will welcome you if you still want to continue to read it. I hope that you will like it someday and that you won't regret having stumble on it and having read it.  
And for everyone who like this fanfic and accept it with all its goods and bad, be sure that I poured my heart and soul into writing it to make it be something which will be worthy of your interest and attention.

And well, I believe that the person who told me that my fanfic is bland, not good and not exciting wasn't completely wrong. I admit myself that this story can bet more enjoyable to read for all of you. I can also tell that probably some of you think the same thing as she did (I will take that the person who send me the message is a girl to make it be easier - Sorry if I made a mistake!). Through your reviews, I can feel that you are holding yourselves back and that you don't dare to tell me when there is something that you don't like, or when you think it's bland and not exciting. Okay, I know that you want more FujiXRyo moments! Skeep this one! FujiXRyo times are coming in the chapter 54-55! So wait for the chapter 54-55, which happen to be the next ones!

But here I seek your true opinions about this fanfic. Please, tell me sincerly where and what do you think it is bland, boring and Mary Sue. And if you were me, how would you change it to make it be more interesting? Thank you for your help!

And now, here is chapter 52 for you, followed by chapter 53. It's two chapters in on shot.

Enjoy!

* * *

Note:

"Here.": normal speaking;

_'Hiyaaaaah!'_ : thinking;

_"You baka ahou!"_ : mental conversation.

* * *

"Here," Fuji said as he gave Yukimura the contract, certifying that his family business had returned back to his hands again.

"Minna, arigatou," Yukimura thanked them.

"We would never let you down," Sanada said warmly.

"Honto ni arigatou (1)," Yukimura repeated, still staring at the contract in his hands.

Yukimura turned to Ryoma.

"Echizen, thank you, for winning for Seiyou Academy," Yukimura said softly. "I couldn't do it, but you did. Thank you very much."

Ryoma opened her eyes, surprised. He was thanking her when she beat him? This had never happen before. To tell the true, it was quite disturbing!

"Domo… senpai…" Ryoma blushed, unsure of how to reply.

"You did very well, Yukimura. I praise you," Sakaki-coach beamed. "Even when you were transferred to Genhoujii, you continued to improve Seiyou. Thanks to you, everyone grew up and became stronger. And you helped Echizen achieve Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami. You truly are Seiyou tennis club's pride."

Ryuuzaki-sensei nodded in agreement. Yukimura was shocked as well as everyone else too. They would never have thought that Sakaki-coach could say that after the mess they had gone though.

"A… Arigatou, Sakaki-coach, Ryuuzaki-sensei," Yukimura stuttered.

"Buchou, you are transferring back to us, right?" Kirihara asked.

"Yes. Now that I no longer have a reason to stay at Genhoujii, I'm coming back," Yukimura said, smiling. "Chichi will accept my request after I give him this paper."

"Yaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!" the regulars cheered, happy to have him back. It just wasn't the same without him around.

* * *

They went to party in a five star restaurant that belonged to Atobe with chef Kawamura cooking for them. The entire floor was reserved for them. They ate, chatted, danced and generally goofed around. Nanjirou, Rinko, Ryoga and Nanako joined with them as well. The boys sat around Nanjirou, listening to him talk. Ryoga played games with a couple of other guys. And of course, Karupin was there too.

"Kupin, you are a very brave boy!" Kikumaru cooed, giving Karupin a nickname. "You are the best kitty in the world!"

"Meowwwww!" Karupin purred, his chest puffed up. He was put on a velvet red cushion - a royal seat for a cat that deserved to be treated like royalty. Kaido was the one who had the honour of carrying the cat on the cushion of glory.

"Here, an extra grilled fish for you!" Momoshiro said, giving him the prize.

"Meooooooow!" Karupin squealed and bit into the token.

On a wide screen, the games Inui had recorded were showing. The people who weren't eating or playing watched the game. They were still amazed by Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami. They weren't bored of watching the same game over and over again. As they watched the three first games, Ryoma frowned, suspicious.

"Senpai-tachi, you lost the three first matches and made a draw on purpose, didn't you?" Ryoma asked - stated being the more appropriate word - with an eyebrow raised.

Marui and Niou whistled, their hands behind their heads, dancing on their feet. The others didn't say anything but neither did they deny it.

"So I was right," Ryoma concluded, scowling lightly.

"It's a very good psychological attack, Echizen-chan," Oshitari said.

"You make your opponent think that they will win and then attack them. That way, their defeat tastes more bitter!" Yagyuu added.

"And they deserve it! After what Torada did to Yukimura!" Gakuto exclaimed defensively.

"You played with me again!" Ryoma grunted.

"Maa maa, Echizen-chan," Marui tried to smooth her. "If we hadn't done that, you wouldn't have been able to wake up to Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami, right?"

"Sou sou (2)! You should thank us for that, you know!"

Ryoma only grunted again. And alas, she, the honoured person of the night, once more fell victim of Kirihara's, Marui's, Niou's and Ootori's enthusiasm. Much to Ryoma's dismay, the-joy-of-glomping-our-human-size-stuffed-toy-Ryoma club gathered again and _squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed_ her in their (undesired) enthusiasm. Just wanting to have a second bite of ootoro (3) seemed to be a forever hopeless wish for Ryoma.

* * *

Sitting in a corner, Yukimura and Fuji watched them.

"Fuji, you haven't done anything yet?" Yukimura asked with an eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" Fuji replied, head slightly tilted in confusion.

"About telling Echizen-chan about your feelings for her," Yukimura said.

Fuji blinked. "What feelings?"

"Fuji, I am not blind and you perfectly know it," Yukimura said, deadpanning. "I have noticed it long before the training camp. When it had started, you weren't even aware of it."

". . ."

"I didn't tell you because I thought that you should discover it for yourself. But after you realized it, I can't believe that you're making walls against your feelings. Why do you deny them? Why don't you just tell her?"

Fuji kept silence for a moment.

"It wasn't the right time," Fuji finally answered. "Tezuka was in Germany and you were being transferred. It wasn't the right time."

"But Tezuka is back, and so am I. What other reason is stopping you? What is the real reason behind your denial?"

". . ." Fuji watched Ryoma for a moment. Then, he spoke again.

"It's to protect her."

". . ." Yukimura didn't need any more explanations. He immediately understood what Fuji meant.

"If I was a simple man, then I could freely act as my feelings tell me," Fuji said. "But each time I want to approach her, I'm being held back by my name. I fear that something bad would happen to her if people of our sad kind knew about my feelings for her. That Ryoma-chan managed to stay unharmed in our school up until today is a miracle, considering that she comes from the common world. She was very lucky to be placed in a homeroom where the students aren't bad people and is able to be friends with them. However, outside of her homeroom, I know that not all of the students share the same opinion about her. They have a very low opinion of her and they want her out of the academy. However, they haven't done anything bad to her yet. That's because she is our regular and she is always surrounded by Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori."

Fuji looked over at Ryoma's table.

* * *

Right now, Ryoma and Kirihara were fighting over food again. Ryoma wanted to protect the fried fish from Kirihara's hands while Kirihara fought to get another fish from Ryoma's plate. In the process, Kirihara knocked over a plate with food, which was sent flying through the air. To the horror of the other boys, the plate landed… on Sanada's head.

_'__Hyiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah__!' _everybody screamed in their heads, not daring to voice out their fear.

_**POP! TWITCH!!!!!**_

Everybody froze. Ryoma and Kirihara became two perfect statues incarnating their fear. They had decided that their food was no longer the most important thing. Something else was more important.

_Their life!!!! _

If they wanted to enjoy more food in their future, they better saved their lives right now.

"Why you two…" Sanada slowly said, growling.

"_Gulp!_" Kirihara and Ryoma swallowed heavily, their faces turning blue.

Sanada stood up from his seat. Kirihara and Ryoma cringed. They stood up as well.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr…" Sanada growled again.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kirihara and Ryoma yelled as they ran away around the room, Sanada trailing behind them.

"Rawwwwwwwwwwwr!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kirihara and Ryoma sped up and headed straight to where Marui, Niou and Ootori were.

"Ah! Wait! You baka! Don't come here!" Marui panicked.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Unfortunately, Kirihara and Ryoma didn't hear him, too absorbed in escaping with their lives.

"Rawwwwwwwwwwwr!" An angry red-eyed Sanada was just a few meters behind them.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Marui, Niou and Ootori yelled, running away too, scared to death by the god-of-death Sanada.

"Hey, didn't the plate that Kirihara knocked over belong to Kikumaru?" Gakuto asked.

Kikumaru froze on the spot. He was so close to the exit door. Everybody now saw him trying to escape out of the room. Kikumaru slowly turned around, facing them.

"Ah… Hahaha…!" Kikumaru embarrassingly laughed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kirihara, Ryoma, Marui and Niou ran passed him. Mad-black-grizzly Sanada was still right behind them.

"Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kikumaru escaped too, since he already got caught trying to run away.

"You idiots! Run to the other side! Not over here!!!!" Shishido shouted when the group came running in the direction where his table was.

Sadly, the scared rabbits didn't have enough time to change the course of their escape path.

"Ah! Let's get away!" Momoshiro yelled as he jumped over the table. Shishido and Hiyoshi jumped over the table and ran away as well, enlarging the group of the poor hunted and terrified rabbits.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

They headed straight to another table.

"Jirou-senpai! Get out of the way, _PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE_!!!" Ryoma yelled on the top of her lunges.

"Huh?" Jirou opened his eyes and raised his head to see a horde of people running into his table, with Ryoma and Kirihara in the front. "Waaaaah!" Jirou jumped from his chair, running away so that he wouldn't be run over. The horde knocked the table where Jirou was 0.1 second ago.

"Rawwwwwwwwwrrrr!" Monster Godzilla Sanada still didn't forgive them.

"Who are the monkeys now?" Atobe asked no one in particular as he watched the running group.

Oshitari chuckled while Ooishi sighed. Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

_'Did I __come back from Germany for this?'_ he wondered, sighing too.

"My, such healthy young people!" Rinko commented as she watched the group running around the room. "It's good to see so many lively and healthy young men!"

"Well, if they want to continue to be this lively, they better run faster," Oshitari replied, smiling amusedly as he watched the gap between the hunter and the hunted get smaller and smaller.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the terrified group put more fuel in their legs.

Nanako chuckled while Nanjirou snickered. Inui, a stopwatch in his hands, raised an eyebrow.

"Sanada is more effective than my juices? How can it be?"

"Sadaharu, they are kind of used to your poisons by now. They managed to survive it up 'till today. But an angry Sanada, they don't taste this everyday. Their lives are more endangered right now," Yanagi said as the running group passed in front of them again.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

_'I'm happy I'm not a regular__!' _Yuuta thought.

Ryoga sweat dropped as he heard them talking. But he shut up. He was thinking that it was better to not tell anyone that it was him who had put the damned plate next to Kirihara. Because he hadn't known who the plate he had found belonged to, he had put it in a random place. Sadly, said random place had been a cursed random place.

_Glint!_

Ryoga suddenly shuddered. He felt a cold piercing stab in his back. Very slowly, he turned around on himself to see Yagyuu's blank glasses fixed on him - _directly_ at him.

"_Gulp!_" Ryoga swallowed his saliva.

_'He knows!' _Ryoga thought.

Ryoga swore he saw cold icy blue waves dancing around Yagyuu.

_"You baka ahou moron! This__ whole mess is all your fault!" _Yagyuu silence form was saying.

Ryoga gulped again.

_"I didn't do in purpose! I swear!" _Ryoga yelled in his head.

The waves around Yagyuu grew bigger and danced more furiously. Gakuto and Kaido, who sat next to Yagyuu, shivered and tried to warm themselves up with their hands.

_'Why it is suddenly so freezing here?'_ they wondered.

But the waves around Yagyuu didn't fade. Ryoga sweat dropped, his eyes held prisoners by Yagyuu.

_'He refuses to believe me!' _Ryoga thought with dismay.

* * *

1) Honto ni arigatou: Thank you very much.

2) Sou sou: That's right! That's right!

3) ootoro: fat tuna sushi.

A/N: Again, please, tell me sincerly where and what do you think is bland, boring and Mary Sue. And if you were me, how would you change it to make it be more interesting?

Thank you for your help!


	53. Party! Party! part 2

Back at Fuji's and Yukimura's table.

"Now, I really feel the burden of my name and responsibilities," Fuji said as he watched Ryoma, his eyes loving and sad.

"Fuji…" Yukimura muttered.

Yukimura perfectly understood what Fuji meant. If an elite young man like him showed attraction towards a young girl who wasn't in the elite circle, it would bring up bad gossip. But the worst was that the young girl might be the aim of framing and underhanded attacks. And again, Fuji was the Seiyou Academy Student Council body president and was highly regarded. He was mostly worshiped by the girls, particularly the senior girls. They wouldn't accept that Fuji loves a girl from the common population who was accepted into Seiyou Academy only because of a scholarship. Just imagining what they might do to Ryoma scared Yukimura.

"Fuji, I know that I should not tell you this, but I will," Yukimura said. "You have noticed that Echizen-chan is a very attractive girl, I don't mean physically, but her personality draws in people around her. She possesses a strange ability to make people around her feel at ease. Look at them all, Fuji. Look at Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kikumaru and all of them. They are never as lively as when she is with them. Right now, she is a very dear friend in their eyes. But people change. And their feelings too. Today it is friendship, but tomorrow it can be something different. If one of them starts to feel this 'something different' towards her, he would also want her to feel the same thing for him. And since they are always around her, he would have the opportunity and the chance to bring her closer to him without raising any suspicion. But you, you who already feels that 'something different' for her, I can see that you try to stay as far as you can from her while your heart wishes for the opposite. What will happen when you finally decide to listen your heart? How long do you plan to make your heart's desires wait? What will happen when you finally decide to follow the voice of your heart and it's too late? Fuji, you and I are seniors. We're graduating _this year_. Now, you see her everyday yet you push her away. Next year, when you no longer have the opportunity to see her, you will long for the opportunities you have right now and regret your decision to stay away. But while you're far away from her, have you considered the possibility that she might fall in love with someone else?"

Fuji immediately froze, his fists clenched.

"Fuji, now you can see that you hate this idea," Yukimura continued. "But that will happen if you don't do anything now. Do you prefer to see her fall in love with someone else - may a total stranger to you - that is not you? If you do not wish for that, then use the chance you have right now while you can see her everyday and tell her your feelings. Me too I don't want Echizen-chan to be harmed, but I also don't want you to regret for the rest of your life not telling her your feelings when you still had the chance."

". . ." Fuji didn't reply.

Silence.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoma, Kirihara and all the pursued boys yelled as they ran pass Yukimura's and Fuji's table. Sanada was still on their tail.

"Huhuhuhu! This is so fun! Let's go faster! Faster! Faster!" Jirou, who was running between Ryoma and Kirihara, said in a sing-song voice with a happy grin on his face.

"Huh?" All the other runners looked at him in disbelief.

_'This guy is seriously nuts!'_ they all thought, their right eyebrows twitching.

_'Maso!'_ Ryoma and Kirihara thought.

* * *

Yukimura and Fuji watched the horde running past them. Yukimura sighed.

"I better stop Sanada now. This can continue until tomorrow if I don't do anything," Yukimura said as he stood up and walked away. He suddenly stopped. "And Fuji, reflect on what I told you."

". . ." Fuji didn't reply.

Yukimura left Fuji alone. He walked out and stood right in the middle of Ryoma's and Kirihara's escape way.

"Ah!" Kirihara and Ryoma shouted.

Yukimura smiled his sweet angelic smile.

"That's enough. Stop now!" Yukimura very nicely said.

Ryoma and Kirihara did everything to halt to a stop. They fear that Yukimura's angelic smile would turn into an angelic (scary) smile.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!_

They succeeded, stopping just half a meter in front of Yukimura.

"Pfffiou!" Ryoma and Kirihara sighed out of relief. They hadn't bumped into Yukimura. However, the boys behind them didn't see Yukimura.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" They bumped into the two youngsters, sending them both flying.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Ryoma and Kirihara yelled as the rest of them stumbled and finished into a piled up human pyramid at Yukimura's feet.

"Outch!"

Sanada stopped when he saw Yukimura with his heavenly angelic smile. Sanada gulped. He understood that he should stop too (if he didn't want to see the angelic smile turned into an angelic (scary) smile).

Meanwhile, Kabaji had pulled out a cushion and put in on the floor, at the exact emplacement where Ryoma landed.

"Oupf!"

Unfortunately, Kabaji didn't pull a cushion for Kirihara.

_Crack! Boom!_

Kirihara crashed in the floor next to Ryoma, cracking the marble, his legs in the air.

"Owww!" Kirihara wailed.

"Arigatou, Kabaji-senpai," Ryoma said.

"Usu!"

"Meoooow!" Karupin, perched on Kabaji's head, said.

"What about me?" Kirihara muttered. No one answered him.

"Now, that's enough playing for tonight," Yukimura spoke. "You will now be very good boys - and girl - and behave yourselves. You have enjoyed yourselves enough and it's very late. We should go back home now. Do you understand me?"

"Hai…" the human pyramid, Sanada, Kirihara and Ryoma obediently muttered.

Rinko and Nanako chuckled.

_'Wow!' _Ryoga and Nanjirou thought. _'Impressive commanding power!'_

* * *

At the entrance of the restaurant.

"Atobe-kun, thank you for inviting us. We had a very nice evening," Rinko said.

"It was my pleasure, Echizen-san," Atobe replied, bowing to her. He took her hand and kissed it.

Ryoma and Ryoga glared him.

_'What a monkey!' _they thought while Rinko and Nanako chuckled.

"Meow!"

"Okay boys, we will be going now!" Nanjirou said.

"Bye bye!" the boys chorused.

"Good evening, senpai-tachi," Ryoma said, bowing to them.

"See you at school, Ochibi-chan!"

The Echizen family left. Soon, some cars appeared in front of the boys.

"We will be going too," Yukimura said.

A last good-bye and Yukimura, Sanada, Atobe, Tezuka, Fuji, Yuuta, Yagyuu and Oshitari climbed in the cars and left.

"We will go, too," Yanagi said. Kawamura, Kaido and Inui left with him.

"Well, we are the only one left. We should go too!" Marui suggested.

"How about a little walk together before we part?" Niou proposed.

"Okay!" Kirihara said.

* * *

On the way across the park in front of the restaurant, something came into Gakuto's mind.

"Hey! I was wondering something!" Gakuto said.

"What is it?" Shishido asked.

"Atobe, Tezuka, Sanada each possessed ten percent of Torada's family business. And Yagyuu possessed five. Combined, they had thirty five. But Yanagi said that they held forty five percent. Then who possessed the last ten percent?"

". . ." no one could answer.

"That's right…" Momoshiro trailed, redoing the counting in his head.

"It's a very good question…" Hiyoshi said.

"So who possess the last ten percent?" Ootori wondered.

* * *

That night. In the Echizen household.

Alone in his room, Ryoga watched the paper in his hand, repeatedly ticking his eyebrow.

_Twitch!  
_

On the paper, there was a name on the top.

_'Yuuji Ryuu.'_

_Twitch! Twitch!_

On the bottom of the paper, there was a signature.

Yuuji Ryuu's signature.

_Twitch! Twitch! __Twitch!_

_**POP!**_

That paper confirmed that Yuuji Ryuu now owned ten percent of the Yukimura's family business. He remembered he had signed something to Hiroshi's request, but he didn't pay attention of what he was signing. Looked like he fall in Hiroshi's trap.

_'That damned fox Hiroshi! He didn't give up! He had me use that damned name! He kn__ows very well that I don't want to be an Yuuji again!' _

_Pop! Pop! Pop! **TWITCH! **_Ryoga repeatedly ticked his right eyebrow.

_'And now this paper just brought Yuuji Ryuu back to life!'_

He wished his eyes could shoot laser so that he could kill the paper by burning it to ashes. But knowing his cousin, he must had keep in his possession other copies of this paper. Even if he succeed to destroy this one, there were still the others to destroy. And again, Ryoga had to find out where did Yagyuu hide the other copies!

". . ."

_Twitch twitch twitch twitch twitch!_

So frustrating.

"_ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!_" Ryoga roared, his voice echoing throughout the city.

* * *

On the other side of the town. In the mansion of the Yagyuu-family.

Yagyuu, sitting in front of his desk, typed on his computer. He took his cup of black coffee and sipped on it, watching his work on the flat screen. He smiled contently.

_'Ryuu, you're not going to escape from me!'_

His smile grew wider.

_'It's useless even if you destroy the contract I send you. I have many copies put in secure places only known by me!'_

He laughed silently.

_'It was you who suggested to me that we attack the lion from behind by pulling his tail. It was very effective on Torada. But who said that I couldn't use that trick on you too?'_

The first step of his plan worked. Ryoga had used the name Yuuji.

_'Now, it won't be long before you return to your real place in the family! Don't think that I would__ carry your burden all my live, you lazy bum!'_

He heard a loud roar echoing outside.

"_ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!_"

Yagyuu smirked. He had a very good idea to whom belonged the roar. He laughed maniacally.

"Mwuahahahahahaha!"

* * *

A/N: Again, please, tell me sincerely where and what do you think is bland, boring and Mary Sue. And if you were me, how would you change it to make it be more interesting?

Thank you for your help!


	54. How to Get Chocolate from Ryoma Tutorial

A/N: I'm sincerely sorry about the two last weeks. I didn't update, but I had told you that I was in the middle of my examination session. And again, right after I finished my last exam, I fell sick. Even though I got 99.5% (Arrrrgh! So close to 100% and I couldn't even make it!), I guess I really overdid it… I'm still not completely cure (but certainly much better than the night I got massively attacked by the bronchitis bacteria), but I will try to work a little bit. Here for you the next chapter.

I thank you for all the replies I got from the inquiry in the last chapter. I'm relieved to know that there are people who still like this story as it is. I don't want to disappoint you, so I will continue to work harder for this story until its ending.

And again, I'm sorry again for not updating two weeks ago…

* * *

Ryoma, clothed in a plain white dress, walked in front of her. The place was was pitch black. There wasn't anything around. Only her.

"Ryoma… Ryoma…" an echoing voice called her.

"Huh?" Ryoma turned her head around, searching for the provenance of the voice.

"Ryoma… Ryoma…"

"It's you again. Who are you? What do you want from me?" Ryoma asked, frantically searching around.

"Ryoma… Find me… Find me now… Find me… Hurry up! Find me…" the voice said again.

"Where? Where are you? And more importantly, who are you?"

"Find me… Find me now… Hurry…"

* * *

Ryoma opened her eyes and sat on her bed, still very tired.

_'It's that dream again,' _she thought, yawning. _'Why it is always that same dream? What for?' _

"Meow!" Karupin, who was next to her pillow, greeted her. Ryoma smiled.

"Good morning to you too, Karupin!" Ryoma said, scratching his behind his left ear. It was a routine to treat her beloved cat with a pet on his favorite scratching spot every morning.

"Prrrrrrrrrrrr…" Karupin purred, butting his head against Ryoma's wonderful fingers.

_'But I still wonder who was that person in my dream? And what does he/she mean by I have to find him/her?'_

* * *

Ryoma yawned as she entered the gate of the school. Around her, all the boys and girls were excited. The girls, because they are planning to go shopping after school for something special tomorrow. They were all _waku waku_ (1). Tomorrow, they would confess their love to a special person. The boys, because tomorrow they would receive something from a girl they liked - they hoped so. Tomorrow would be Valentine's Day. But the joyful and happy mood didn't reach Ryoma's brain under her thick skull. She found the atmosphere annoying.

_'What are you so excited about? It's barely morning! You are so loud!'_

"Echizen-chan!" Shizumi Hanako called her. Ryoma turned her head to see her classmate running to her. Mio and Reiko were with her too.

"Hum, what is it?" Ryoma asked.

"Nee, Echizen-chan, after school, we are going shopping downtown. Why don't you come with us?" Reiko asked.

"Huh? Shopping? Why?" Ryoma asked. The three girls giggled.

"It's obvious, no? It's for _tomorrow_!" Mio proclaimed.

"Huh?" Questions marked popped around Ryoma's head. "What about tomorrow?"

". . ." The three girls looked silently at Ryoma.

"Echizen-chan, do you know what is tomorrow date?" Reiko asked.

"Tomorrow?" Ryoma frowned. "Well tomorrow is…?" A chance there are people to remind her of tomorrow special date.

"Echizeeeeeeeeeen!/Ochibiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Kirihara and Kikumaru shouted as they came running to her.

_Hop! _They jumped and landed on her.

"_GAW!_" Ryoma fell flat on the ground, two people sat on her back.

"Echizen-chan!" Reiko exclaimed while Mio and Hanako giggled.

"Sorry girls! We want to talk with her a little bit!" Kirihara said.

"Can you lend us Ochibi-chan for a moment please?" Kikumaru added.

"Huhuhuhu!" Hanako giggled. "Of course! Well then, Echizen-chan, we will see you in class later!"

"Ah! Wait! Don't let me alone behind with them!" Ryoma called to be rescued.

"Hahahaha!" the girls only giggled again, highly amused, then left. Since Ryoma was busy with her senpai-tachi, it was better to let her be alone with them.

"Argh!" Ryoma growled. "What do you want from me?" Ryoma snapped at the two people who were still on her back.

"Ehizen/Ochibi! Tomorrow, give us some!" Kirihara and Kikumaru sing-sang on the top of their lunges. All the people around stopped to look at the weird scene: a freshman girl being crushed by two senpais in the middle of the school and right in the morning. Apparently, the two boys on her back weren't aware that crushing a girl underneath them wasn't a normal form of greeting.

"Huh? Give what? _AND GET OFF OF MY BACK WOULD YOU!_" However, the two heavy aloofs on the top of her didn't move away.

"You are going to give me some tomorrow, right?" Kirihara charged again excitedly.

"Me too! Me too! I want some!" Kikumaru added.

"Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggh!" Ryoma only grunted, desperately trying to stand up again. She pushed on her arms, praying kami-sama that the two boys would understand that she wanted them to move down from her. But alas, their skulls were thicker than hers.

_Tap tap tap! _Three other people came running to them.

_Jump! Jump! Jump!_

_Crash! Crash! Crash! _And three more people piled up on Ryoma's back!

"_GAWWWWWWWWWWWW!_"

"Echizen! We want some too!" Marui, Niou and Ootori sing-sang.

"Senpai-tachi, not you too? What do you want from me?" Ryoma realized that she won't be able to get away from them if she didn't accept to give them what they wanted. But there was a problem. She didn't know what they wanted from her.

"Hahhh?/Hanyaaaaaaaaah!" all the five boys shouted, horrified. The girl didn't understand what they wanted from her.

"But before everything, can you get off of me P-L-E-A-S-E?" Ryoma very politely (and sarcastically) asked, her eyebrow ticking.

"Uso! She doesn't know what's tomorrow date!" Marui said, ignoring her request.

_Twitch!_

"Echizen, are you really a girl? I'm really starting to think that you're not one now! How can a girl not know about tomorrow date?" Niou said. He too didn't get off of her back.

_Twitch! _

"But that's impossible! All the girls know about tomorrow date!" Ootori said. He too stayed were he was on her back.

_Twitch!_

"But then again, she never thinks and acts like a girl!" Kirihara said, now sat, on her back, with his legs and arms crossed.

_Twitch! Twitch!_

"But then, how are we going to have her give us some nyah?" Kikumaru wondered, scratching his head.

_Twitch! __Twitch! __Twitch! _

_Pop!_

Ryoma's eye brow must be aching terribly by now for ticking too much. She didn't remember that her mother telling her that she was born to be a living carpet for aloof boys when they felt the desire to discuss about the art of how to be a girl.

"You won't get anything from her if you stay where you are," Yagyuu said, appearing next to the group. Some of the others regulars were there too, watching the strange scene before them, amused.

"What do you mean, Yagyuu, staying where we are?" Niou asked. Yagyuu looked sternly at him.

_'So he didn't understand,' _Yagyuu thought.

"Huhuhuhu! Why don't you get off of her first?" Yukimura nicely said, smiling.

"Huh?" The four boys looked down at their discussion carpet-cushion.

"Ahhh! Echizen, what are you doing here? Lying on the ground?" Kirihara asked.

_**POP!**_

A huge red vein popped on her head.

_'Grrrrrrrr! Seriously, those guys are so d-. . .' _Ryoma didn't have time to finish her thought because Yukimura hurried to help her (and rescued the boys from her coming wrath).

"Hora hora! Get off of her now!" Yukimura said, pushing the five boys away while Fuji crouched down in front of Ryoma.

"Here, let me help you, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said as he gave her his hand to help her up, which she happily accepted.

"Arigatou, senpai," Ryoma said, sighing and rubbing her back and dusting her clothes. Yukimura and Fuji chuckled. Tezuka and Sanada sighed hopelessly. "So, what's about tomorrow and what do you want from me?" Ryoma asked.

"Echizen-chan, tomorrow is Valentine's Day," Ooishi explained.

"So you're giving me chocolate tomorrow, right?" Kirihara excitedly charged again.

"Heh? Why would I do that?" Ryoma replied back, deadpanned.

"Echizen!/Ochibi!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru wailed.

"Tomorrow will be Valentine and we want your chocolate! So you give us chocolate tomorrow nyah!" Kikumaru stated.

"Hmph! Hmph!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori vividly agreed.

"Hah?" Ryoma made a funny face.

"Buchou, tell her to give us chocolate!" Kirihara complained to Yukimura.

"Huh? Errr…" Yukimura sweat dropped, his hands up in defense mode.

"Buchou, you said that girls make chocolate for boys on Valentine's Day. She's a girl - thought sometime it's hard to believe (Ryoma twitched her eye), - and tomorrow it's Valentine! So she must give us chocolate, right?" Kirihara continued.

"It's true I said that. But it's only when a girl lik-…!"

"So she will give us chocolate tomorrow!" Niou cut Yukimura.

"Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!" Kirihara, Marui, Ootori and Kikumaru cheered.

"What? Hey, don't decide things on your own!" Ryoma protested, but they didn't listen to her.

"Oh! Yukimura, you want some too? Her chocolate?" Marui said.

"Heh…?" Yukimura tried to say something.

"Maa, it's not a bad idea, receiving chocolate from Echizen-chan," Oshitari said. "How about you, Tezuka, Sanada?"

"Errr…"

"So you want her chocolate too, fukubuchou, Tezuka-senpai!" Kirihara already concluded, cutting Tezuka and Sanada.

"You heard that, Ooishi! Ochibi-chan is going to give us chocolate tomorrow!"

"Huh!" Ooishi jumped.

"Fujiko, you want chocolate too?" Kikumaru chained next.

"Euh…" Fuji started.

"Then Ochibi-chan, don't forget Fujiko's chocolate too, nyah!" Kikumaru cut him. "Oh! Don't forget Yuuta's part too, Ochibi-chan!"

"Hah?" Ryoma understood less and less what was happenin around. What was getting in their mind?

"Hey! Then I want some too!" Momoshiro jumped in.

"Chocolate? I never thought about using that ingredient in my juice before," Inui reflected. "I should give a try. What do you think about it, Renji?"

"It's not a bad idea," Yanagi said. He turned to Ryoma. "Echizen, bring us some chocolate tomorrow please."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhh?" Ryoma yelped. Even Inui and Yanagi too! The end of the world must be coming ahead of its schedule.

"Me too, Echizen-chan!" Jirou added, smiling. "I want some too!"

"Jirou-senpai, you too?" Ryoma exclaimed. "And how come you're awake now? We are not playing tennis!" Jirou only smiled.

"Don't forget us too, Echizen-chan!" Gakuto said, mentioning him and Shishido.

"Make sure they suit Ore-sama's taste!" Atobe said. "Okay, let's go now! Class will start soon."

"Hai!" the boys responded and walked away. Ryoma was left behind with Oshitari and Yagyuu only. She had a funny face, her mouth twitching.

"H-how did this end up like this?" Ryoma asked to no one. They didn't let her a chance to say what she thought about giving chocolate or not - most probably not. "Senpai-tachi, what would happen to me if I don't give them chocolate tomorrow?" Ryoma asked.

"They will make sure to remind you about it this every single day until next year's Valentine's Day," Oshitari said. Ryoma became blue.

"But most of you will graduate, so you won't be in school anymore. So they can't…" Ryoma said.

"Echizen-chan, must I remind you? They know where you live and they know your phone number," Oshitari cut her.

". . ." Ryoma transformed into a rock.

"And even if you move away and change your phone number, they can track you down and will do anything to get their hands on what they want. They can also hunt you down even in the deepest of your nightmare," Oshitari said. "Trust me. I know what I mean." Ryoma gulped. "A good advise, Echizen-chan, do these chocolates. It's for your own good and to save your sanity," Oshitari said. "Ganbatte ne." And he left too. A lonely wind flew pass Ryoma and Yagyuu.

"But I don't know how to make chocolate…" Ryoma said. "Ha…" she sighed heavily. Head down, she entered the school too. Alone, Yagyuu pulled out his cellphone and flipped it open.

* * *

"Moshi moshi," Ryoga answered.

"Ryoga, it's me," Yagyuu said.

"Hum? Hiroshi? What is it? Hmn… Hmn… Hmn… Huh? _WHAT?_ Pffffffffft! No way! She? Valentine? Chocolate? Seriously? Hahahahaha! It's really true? Hihihihihi! Wuhahahahaha! Hmn…! Hmn…! Hmn…! Okay… Okay… Okay… Got it! Thanks for telling me! Huhuhuhuhu! See ya!" Ryoga cut and dialed another number while snickering. "Hihihihihi!"

"Moshi moshi?" Rinko answered her cellphone.

"Hihihihi! Kaa-san, it's me. Hihihihi!" Ryoga said. "It's about Chibisuke! Hahahaha!" He explained to Rinko what Yagyuu told him. When he finished, Rinko laughed.

"Huhuhuhuhu! Alright. I will do some shopping before going home," Rinko said.

* * *

Back home.

"Tadaima… Ha…!" Ryoma sighed heavily as she entered her house.

"Pfffffffffffft! Hmhmhmhm! …'Kaeri… Hihihihihi! …Chibisuke! Wuahahahahahaha!" Ryoga snickered. Ryoma looked suspiciously at him. Why did he look to have so much fun?

"Ha…" she sighed. But right now, she didn't want to know the reason. For now, she had a bigger problem on her back (problems always pilled up on her back fast). She must hurry to find chocolate for over twenty people tomorrow if she want to keep her sanity sane until next year. After school, Ryoma went with some of her class mates girls to the mall to buy chocolate. But soon, Ryoma gave up the idea of buying chocolate. It was beyond the content of her allowance. Her class mates offered to help her, but Ryoma refused. One solution remained was her mother. Surely her mother must know something about making Valentine chocolate, so she went home to see her mother. But first, she would go and changed into more comfortable clothes. When she came down again, she hear her mother's voice in the kitchen. She went straight there. She would need her mother's help again.

"Kaa-san, I need your help, please!" Ryoma said as she entered the kitchen. "Ha…" she let out a big sigh of exhaustion.

"Huhuhuhuhu!" Rinko and Nanako chuckled while Ryoga snickered. They already knew for what reason Ryoma was asking for help.


	55. Valentine's Day part 1

In the kitchen.

Ryoma, cladded in a white apron, stood in front of a table where Rinko had displayed ingredients and tools to make chocolate, listened to her mother.

"Ryoma, Valentine's Day in Japan is different from Valentine in America. Here, it's a very special day for everybody," Rinko explained. "It's a custom for a girl to give chocolate to people around her. Most of the time, it's a person of the opposite sex, but not exclusively. The person can a member of your family, a very good friend or anyone dear to you. But the most about Valentine for a girl, it's a chance for her to give chocolate to a very special boy."

"A special boy?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, a special boy," Rinko smiled. "A special boy for a girl is the one who makes her heart beat faster each time she sees him, who makes her cheeks burn when he is near her and who makes her feel like in she was in a magical world when she crosses eyes with his. She always thinks about him everyday and remember every single moments she spend with him." Rinko looked Ryoma in her eyes. "Ryoma, is there a boy who make you feel like that?"

"A boy who makes my heart beat faster, my cheeks burning and makes me think that I'm in a magical world?" Ryoma repeated, tilting her head. She frowned, thinking. Suddenly, a image of a brunette boy with incredible cerulean eyes flashed in her head. Her cheeks slightly blushed, but a very faint tint.

"Today, Ryoma, I will teach you how to do chocolate so you can give them to him," Rinko continued.

"It's so romantic! Giving chocolate on Valentine!" Nanako cooed.

"Huh?"

_'Chocolate_…_ Valentine_…_'_

Next followed in Ryoma's head picture of many other boys. Ryoma grimaced.

"Actually, kaa-san, the reason why I must these damned chocolate is nothing romantic. I have to them, otherwise I won't survive until next year!" Ryoma blurted.

Rinko chuckled, knowing that she meant.

"Oh! Sou ka…" Rinko said, accepting Ryoma's answer. But she saw Ryoma's cheek color red for a split of second. Rinko smiled mysteriously. "Well, that's too sad. But until that boy appear, this will be a good opportunity for you to learn making chocolate. Let's start!"

* * *

"Ryoma, when you make Valentine chocolate, you must put her your feelings into it," Rinko said as she showed Ryoma how to mix the ganache.

"Does the desire to survive until next year can also be considered as a feeling to be put in chocolate?" Ryoma asked.

"Huhuhu!" Rinko chuckled again. "Yes, FRIENDSHIP can also be counted as a feeling you must put in the chocolate," Rinko insisted.

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed.

"Valentine chocolates are a message of feelings for the person to whom you want to give it. It expressed how much the receiver is special to you. Your father…"

"That old pervert?" Ryoma asked, but Rinko continued.

"…your brother…"

"That twisted brain baka aniki too?"

"… people whom you highly admire or you hold true respect…"

"Buchou and Yukimura-senpai?"

"…and…" Rinko purposely trailed. "…and a person you love…"

A brunette with close eyes appeared in her head again and a faint tint of red colored her cheeks. Ryoma didn't say anything this time, though she didn't know why. Rinko mysteriously smiled again.

_'It's the second time she blushes,' _Rinko thought, very happy.

"When making chocolate, picture that person in your mind and keep his picture until you finish doing the chocolate," Rinko continued. "Each person is different, so each chocolate is different, even if they are all made from the same ingredient."

Ryoma learned how to make truffles, a French chocolate specialty. First, she made the ganache, the melted chocolate filling of the truffle. She chopped chocolate into tinny bits. Then, she heated the cream. After that, she poured the cream in the chocolate to melt it. Next, she mixed the cream and the chocolate until the ganache took form and let it cooled down. While waiting for the ganache to cool, she melt chocolate to make the coat of the ganache. After the ganache was cooled enough, she took them out of the refrigerator and rolled them into ball. Surprisingly, Ryoma was very good for rolling ball, considering her (cough cough cough) artistic skills. But Rinko guessed that chocolate balls were the same form as a tennis ball, which why Ryoma was so good at making balls. The roundness of a ball was permanently sunk in Ryoma's hands. The problem remained that her chocolate balls were as big as a real size tennis ball. Rinko had to cut Ryoma's chocolate tennis ball size into smaller balls and had her rolled them again. The last step, with the melted chocolate, Ryoma learned to coat the ganache ball and rolled them in the cacao powder.

* * *

The next day. February 14th.

Ryoma entered the school, gloomy. And very tired too. She thought that making chocolate would be only "making chocolate". She didn't think that making chocolate also included the wrapping. Nanako had insisted that the chocolate must be wrapped prettily. She even bought the necessary accessories for the wrapping. And her mother also agreed with Nanako. Thus, Ryoma had to learn to do pretty wrapping for a mass of brown thingies. When she remembered all the pain she had yesterday, she rather choose to suffer Inui's juice and Tezuka's 200 laps than doing "pretty decoration" again.

"Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn!" she yawned, not aware of the people running to her behind her.

"Echizen/Ochibi!!!!!" Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Kikumaru shouted.

_BAM!  
_

They jumped, assaulting Ryoma, crashing her on the ground like yesterday.

"Gagw" Ryoma fell, her face in the dirt again. Just like yesterday.

"Ohayou! Where is our chocolate?!" they happily screeched.

With a trembling hand, she hold up many small wrapped packages with brown balls inside. They immediately took one package each, very happy.

"Domo arigatou! You really shouldn't have!" they screeched again.

_Pop! Twitch!_

_'Are they being sarcastic?' _Ryoma wondered. If she didn't make them chocolate, they would… Ryoma shook her head, refusing to think about what would happen to her if she didn't give them chocolate. But today, by some miracle, they got off of her back without having anyone to remind them.

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed and dropped her head on the ground. "Why is it always happen to me?"

"Huhuhuhu!" people chuckled next to her. Ryoma raised her head to see Yukimura and Oshitari.

"Don't be mad at them, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said. "They don't mean to be bad."

"Here, let us help you," Oshitari said, holding out a hand to her. Yukimura did the same.

"Arigatou, senpai-tachi," Ryoma said, tooking both their hands. They pulled her up.

"Why did they ask chocolate from me?" Ryoma asked as she dusted her skirt and jersey. "They are popular among the girls, and so you are. They must receive tone of chocolate on Valentine."

"It's true that they always receive chocolate on Valentine, but from girls who are mostly kind of stranger to them," Oshitari said. "It's the first time that they asked chocolate from someone. You are the really first girl at school who became so close to them."

"I never ask them to become close with me," Ryoma grunted in her teeth. Oshitari and Yukimura chuckled. "Ah! That's right!" She searched in her satchel and took out two nicely wrapped packages with their name on it. "Here for you, senpai-tachi!"

"Ah!" Oshitari and Yukimura were surprised.

"Echizen-chan, I know that yesterday, they kind of… force you… (he admitted it) to make them chocolate. But you didn't have to make chocolate for us too," Yukimura said.

"I know that, but since I made for them, so as well made for everybody," Ryoma said. "I took a lot of time to do them, so please eat them all."

Oshitari and Yukimura smiled. Then, they took each a package.

"Arigatou, Echizen-chan," Yukimura said. "We will make sure to each them all."

"You better! For all the pain I took to make them!" Ryoma said stubbornly.

Yukimura chuckled.

"Let's go now," he said.

"Hai!"

* * *

Lunch time. In the greenhouse.

"Umeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Jirou exclaimed, chewing happily in the chocolate.

"They are very good, Ryoma, thank you!" Yuuta said.

"Yah! Thanks, Echizen-chan!" Gakuto said, putting the second piece in his mouth. Hiyoshi smiled as he ate his chocolate too.

"Surprisingly, the chocolate has a good form this time," Shishido said, examining his. "I was expecting some weird shape, like another drown fish or any other weird animals."

_Pop! Twitch!_

_'Hey! At least I did the chocolate! Don't ask too much from me!' _Ryoma eyed him.

"Probably because it's the same form as a tennis ball, that's why she did them so well," Yanagi said.

"There is a very high probability that's the reason of her performance this time," Inui said, examining the perfectly round piece of chocolate while scribbling in his notebook.

"Inui-senpai, if you put chocolate in your juice, I won't mind drinking it! Umeeeee!" Momoshiro said, plopping another chocolate in his mouth. "Naah! What do you think, Mamushi?"

"Fssssssssshhhh!" Kaido took his time to bite in the chocolate.

"Ooishi! Can you give me yours? I ate all of mine!" Kikumaru asked as Ooishi was going to eat the last one from his box.

"Huh? But I already give you two of mine!" Ooishi said.

"Yeah, but I want more!" Kikumaru said.

"Here, Sanada-senpai, this is yours," Ryoma gave him the a small box.

"Arigatou," Sanada said, taking the box.

"Ah! Fukubuchou, I remember that you don't like chocolate. Can I eat yours?" Kirihara said, popping behind Sanada.

"Hah?" Sanada jumped, unconsciously closed his fingers around his box, but Kirihara already jumped on him, hands stretched toward the small box.

"Ah! That's right! I want them too!" Marui said. He too jumped on Sanada like Kirihara did.

"Hey! But you already eat yours this morning!" Niou said.

"But it's true that Sanada usually doesn't eat chocolate," Ootori said. "It would be a waste if he throw them away…"

". . ." Silence. Niou and Ootori thought a moment.

"Hey! Give me his chocolate!" they shouted and jumped on Sanada too.

"Waaaaaa!" Sanada got crushed on the floor. He got knocked out as Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori fight for his chocolate. Everybody sweat dropped at the scene.

"Daring, aren't they?" Gakuto said. "Doing that even to Sanada."

"Poor him," Shishido said.

_'I'm glad I am Seigaku's buchou,'_ Tezuka thought._ 'My teammates won't do that to me.'_

"I understand that Kirihara, Marui and Niou dare to steal Sanada's chocolate. But Ootori? He is Hyotei, isn't he?" Jirou said, enjoying the fight as he ate another chocolate.

"I think it's because they just want the chocolate and that they are sure Sanada won't eat them. We ourselves never saw Sanada eating chocolate, don't we?" Oshitari said.

"But Sanada is not the only one who usually don't eat chocolate," Yukimura said. "Tezuka too. Every year, he gave his chocolate to his friends and family members. Why is Tezuka not assaulted like Sanada?"

At Yukimura's word, the mess up group instantly stopped fighting. The small box flew in the air and landed in Kabaji's hand, who just appeared there. He would hold the box for the time the fight was on hold as a referee.

"That's right…" Marui said.

"Tezuka too never eats Valentine chocolate…" Niou repeated.

"Nhehehehe…" Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori wickedly laughed as they looked at Tezuka. More precisely, they looked at the small box in Tezuka's hand. "Nhehehehe…"

Tezuka turned blue, sweat dropping.

_'Masaka! Don't tell me they are thinking about…' _Tezuka didn't have time to finish his assumption, which happened to happen anyway.

"Waaaaaaaa!"

The next second, Tezuka, in his chibi form, was on the floor next to Sanada's chibi form. Kabaji dropped the box in his hand. He left to stand next to Atobe, letting the four boys fighting for two chocolate boxes now. The other regulars sweat dropped again.

"Not only Sanada, but Tezuka too," Yagyuu said.

"Hey! Then I want the chocolate too!" Kikumaru said and jumped in the messy mass.

"Ah! Eiji! No!" But Kikumaru ignored Ooishi.

"Me too! Give it to me!" Momoshiro jumped in the mass too.

". . ." The remaining people were speechless of the show.

"I guess that when it comes to their stomach, they aren't scare of anything," Oshitari said.

"Hmn," Kawamura nodded.

"Yukimuraaaaaaa…" Sanada and Tezuka trailed, looking up at the bluette boy sat in front of them.

"Oh my!" Yukimura put a hand on his mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to happen like that. Huhuhuhuhu!"

"Ha…" Sanada and Tezuka sighed.

"Tezuka, Sanada, being buchou and fukubuchou, you must know how to appreciate your underline's work and eat the chocolate," Atobe said as he watched the chocolate between his fingers. "This is a common thing to do for us, recognizing our underline's gratefulness. Naa, Kabaji?" Atobe put the chocolate in his mouth.

"Usu!" Kabaji put a chocolate in his mouth.

"Ha…" Sanada and Tezuka sighed again.

_'We planned to, but it's look we can't do it now!' _they thought.

Ryoma looked around the room, searching for someone.

"Ryoma, what are you looking for?" Yuuta asked.

"Hmm…" Ryoma didn't answer, but she slightly blushed.

"Fuji is on his duty right now, Echizen-chan. He must see for the preparation of the Valentine party with the other council members," Yukimura said, smiling.

Ryoma blushed deeper.

"Wha-wha-what… makes you think that I'm searching for him?" Ryoma stuttered, casting her eyes down.

_'Huhuhuhu!' _Yukimura silently chuckled.

"You are still holding one last chocolate box in your hands, Echizen-chan. Everyone has receive their chocolate, except Fuji. So, it's obvious that the box is intended to him. Beside, I can see Fuji's name on the paper. It's very easy to guess who you were searching for," Yukimura said.

"Ah…" Ryoma said.

"That's too bad you missed him, Ryoma. He left only one minute before you arrive," Yuuta said. "Because of the party, aniki will be busy all day. And he will also have to stay late after school for cleaning. Maybe you can't give him the chocolate until tomorrow…"

"Oh…" Ryoma said.

She became a little bit sad.

_'There is no meaning to give Valentine chocolate the day after Valentine's Day…'_

Yukimura saw her sadness.

_'Echizen-chan…'_


	56. Valentine's Day part 2

"That's too bad you missed him, Ryoma. He left only one minute before you arrive," Yuuta said. "Because of the Valentine party, aniki will be busy all day. And he will also have to stay late after school for cleaning. Maybe you can't give him the chocolate until tomorrow…"

"Oh…" Ryoma said.

She became a little bit sad.

_'There is no meaning to give Valentine chocolate after Valentine's Day…'_

Yukimura saw her sadness.

* * *

The Valentine party was great. The contest organized by the student council was a success. It was a making chocolate contest. Each class choose one person to represent them. The one who win the contest got a trip in a luxurious onsen and ski resort for the whole class for a week-end, all expenses covered. The prize was graciously provided by Atobe Keigo - the resort belonged to him. The teachers were the judges of the chocolate. After the contest, it was a small dancing party. Students and teachers danced. Even the staves of the kitchen, the garden and all the other departments of the school. There were also chocolate, sweets (all chocolate too) and drinks provided for everyone.

Fuji watched the crowd but saw nothing. Though it didn't seem so, Fuji was in a very bad mood today. Like every year, he had received tones of chocolate. And like every year, he politely accepted them. To tell the truth, every year, he felt kind of annoy of the Valentine's Day. On this particular day, he was always busy because of the council work. However, he must also act polite toward the female population and must gracefully received their attention and presents. This year, he thought that he was loathing this day more than the previous year. Why? He didn't know it himself. This morning, when he woke up, he felt a strange longing desire for 'something', a hope that something would happen… But that 'something' didn't appear and it was putting him in a lot of stress. And all the lovey-dovey mood around him wasn't helping him. In hope to ease the uneasy feeling he felt, he poured himself in his work for the council student. Now, he was mentally exhausted.

_'Please kami-sama, make this day end faster for me,' _he prayed.

But it was unlikely, considering that he still have to stay late at school for cleaning the party.

* * *

Suddenly, someone appeared next to him and spoke to him.

"Fuji-kun, again, you and the council did a great work," a teacher praised him. "This party is a success and everybody is enjoying themselves. I'm very happy of the result. Congratulations."

Fuji turned his head to see the principal.

"Thank you, Ishigawa-kouchou," Fuji politely answered. "I will tell the council members your words. It's thanks to them that this party is a success. I couldn't do it by myself alone."

"Huhuhuhu," Ishigawa-sensei laughed, very pleased of Fuji's answer. "Very well, very well. I'm looking forward to see your next job."

"Hai, sensei," Fuji said.

"Ah! Ishigawa-kouchou!" someone called the principal. "Please, there is someone I want to introduce to you."

Fuji nodded to Ishigawa-kouchou as the principal left. Fuji watched them left when someone called him too.

"Fuji."

Fuji turned his head.

"Yukimura," Fuji said.

Yukimura walked to him. Fuji saw a small box in Yukimura's hand. Seeing the surprise expression on Fuji's face, Yukimura explained.

"Ah, this is Valentine chocolate," Yukimura said.

"It's rare to see you carrying a Valentine chocolate gift with you," Fuji said.

"Huhuhuhu! Indeed," Yukimura admitted. "But this one is special." Yukimura looked at Fuji's face, not wanting to miss the expression which would be taken. Yukimura hold up the small box in front of Fuji's eyes. "This one is from Echizen-chan."

Fuji snapped his eyes opened. He wasn't very happy to hear that.

"And handmade by her too!" Yukimura added.

Fuji grinned his teeth.

No! Scratch it.

Fuji _reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally loathed_ today's day!

"It's so sweet from her," Yukimura added, purposely grinning a shiny happy smile too and not missing anything on Fuji's face.

Right now, Fuji's ceruleans eyes were changing into a cold stormy blue-purple color.

_'Huhuhu! I wish I could take a picture of that jealous expression of yours, Fuji,'_ Yukimura thought.

"Is there anything you want from me, Yukimura?" Fuji asked with a slightly edgy voice.

_'Huhuhuhu!'_

"Yes," Yukimura happily said - almost chanting. "There is something I want you to do for me."

"What is it?" Fuji grumbled.

Yukimura grew another shiny smile while beaming of joy inside.

* * *

While everybody were enjoying the party in the gymnasium, Ryoma was alone in the school garden. Fists on her waist, she stamped impatiently her foot on the ground, looking from right to left.

"Yukimura-senpai, what is the point of telling me to meet you here when you're not even here?" she grunted. She looked at the small box she carried in her hand left hand. "And why did you tell me to bring Fuji-senpai's chocolate too?"

"Ryoma-chan?" a soft voice called her.

Ryoma turned around to see someone steeping out from behind the roses wire mesh.

"Fuji-senpai!" A light tint of pink rushed on her cheeks and she hastily hide her two hands behind her, the small box clutched between them.

"Ryoma-chan, it's really you," Fuji said as he elegantly walked to her.

Fuji was _loathing_ to do a service for Yukimura - particularly today -, but seeing the black-green hair kouhai girl, his anger instantly vanished like magic.

_'It's incredible to see how strong is the influence she holds on me,'_ Fuji thought.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" Ryoma stuttered.

"Yukimura told me that you were searching for me," Fuji calmly said as he stopped in front of her.

Ryoma turned red.

_'Curse you, Yukimura-senpai!'_

"Is there anything you want from me?" Fuji gently asked.

He opened his eyes and Ryoma's orbs met with his cerulean ones. The color on her cheeks took a deeper shade of red. The expression in his eyes just made her feel… un-Ryoma-ish. It must because of the cerulean orbs. It was such an usual color - a color you don't see everyday. She tried to convince herself that it had nothing to do with the (soft and tender) expression behold in them. It was also because his eyes were opened. That too was something that she didn't see everyday. Still, she suddenly felt very shy and hastily casted her eyes down. That was it. It was because first, his eyes were opened, and second, because of the unusual color that she felt so not like her usual self!

"Ahm… Ahm… Ahm…" Ryoma stuttered.

Ryoma didn't know what to say. This was the perfect opportunity to give him the chocolate, but she couldn't believe it would be so hard to do such a simple action. It wasn't like she never gave chocolate before, right? She just did it today in the morning (she still remembered the pain on her back) and during lunch time (she thought that maybe Tezuka and Sanada too must now know the same pain on their back). But now, she was alone with Fuji. Alone! It wasn't the same thing as this morning and at noon. She felt so nervous. On the other hand, if she wanted to stop being so nervous - get rid of this awkward feeling -, maybe it was better to give him the chocolate now. That would be one stress less on her back- err, on her hand. On her hand. Yes, on her hand.

Fuji watched her, an eyebrow raised. He wondered what was she debating with herself.

"Ryoma-chan?"

Ryoma gulped.

_'Let's do it now!'_

"There… There…" She gulped again. "There is something I want to give you…" she finally said.

Fuji blinked. Ryoma bite her lips. Slowly, she brought her hands in front of her. On their palms, Fuji saw a small square white box with a yellow ribbon tied in a bow. Ryoma shut her eyes and dashed the small gift to Fuji.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Fuji-senpai!" she blurted, furiously blushing.

Fuji wide opened his eyes, in shock. He wasn't expecting this. He watched her. Her eyes were still shut, her cheeks were tinted in a pretty cherry color. And her hands, which were holding the small white box, were trembling. Was she scared of something? Like that he would refuse her chocolate? What made her think like that? But still, she was also trembling a little bit.

Fuji softly smiled.

* * *

In Ryoma's head, nothing went right. It seemed to her that an eternity just flew away from the moment she dashed the small box to Fuji. But, Fuji still didn't take it. Did it mean that he refuse it? That thought made Ryoma cringued. She should retreat her arms and pretended that she never gave out the chocolate to him. However, her arms were frozen, refusing to obey to her mind.

_'Oh kami-sama! Do something, please!'_

Suddenly, she felt long fingers covering her hands and pulling her forward. Next, she felt an arm slide around her waist and she was pulled against a man's chest. Then, she felt a warm breath against her right ear.

"Arigatou, Ryoma-chan…"

Lastly, she felt warm and soft lips brush against her right cheek.

* * *

A/N: I know it's short. I just realize how I'm bad with romantic scene. Two days. Only two days! Give me two days. You will get something better in two days. It's a promise. And I swear on it.


	57. A cellphone, a stoic and a freak

A/N: Like I promised two days ago, here is the next chapter. And hey! It's not even pass two days since the moment I posted the chapter 56. It's less than 48 hours. Barely 36 hours! Only a day and half! (Mumble) I should wait another 8 hours before putting this chapter… It would be better… (from my personal opinion! Hehe!). But anyway, what is posted is posted.

But before that, I want to ask you about something. Yesterday, I heard something thing… strange… funny… if I might say (from my own perspective, that's it). I heard that there are guys who read fanfictions. When that came to my ears, I fell off my chair (the pain on the butt still lingered in my memory). But when I think about it, guys aren't forbidden from reading fanfictions. Or even from writing too! But in my head, it's just so incredible to believe and unexpected. Up to now, I never thought that guys can find interest into reading or writing fanfictions. I can figure them writing any kind of things (blog, short stories, novels and stuff like that), but not fanfictions. Then, thinking about it again, I thought about the fact that Japanese mangas and animations are very popular among guys too, so there was a probable possibility that there are also guys who read and write fanfictions.

Thus, I came up with this inquiry: is there anyone of you, who are reading this story, who is a guy? Biologically speaking I mean. I'm very curious to know. True to tell, I don't think (I don't believe) that there are guys who are reading this story because there is romance and it's cheesy (but fun to write for me). All the guys around me would say that this fanfic is sissy and boring. Could it be that it's because no guy around possesses one bone - or even one tiny tiny cell - of romance in them? Anyway, I'm very curious to know if there is at least one of my readers who is a guy.

So just _**in case - IN CASE! - there is one guy who is reading this story**_, please answer to some of my questions. I don't care if you're homo, hetero, bi, trans, androgyny or cross-breed (half-human and half-alien for example), I just want to know if there is at least one guy who is reading this fanfic (or a chapter of the whole story). Why did you read it? How did you stumble on it? Do you find it cheesy and boring? Is there anything that which is not cheesy and boring? Thank you for answering! By the way, if you don't want to answer through the review to preserve your anonymity, a personal message can do to. My Anonymous Reviews setting is also enabled, so you can use it too.

Now, chapter 57: A cellphone, a stoic and a freak over wasabi. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 57: A cellphone, a stoic and a freak over wasabi.**

_Tit __it tit! Tit tit tit! Tit tit tit!_

Yagyuu's cellphone rang. He took it out and flipped it open.

"Moshi moshi."

"Hiroshi, it's me," Ryoga said.

"Ryoga, what is it?"

"Want to know something." Ryoga plopped a chocolate in his mouth, chewing it. Ryoma gave him chocolate this morning before he left. "Hummm! Umeeeeeeeeeeee! Say, did Chibisuke give you guys chocolate?"

"Yes, she did. Everyone got Valentine chocolate from her. A small box with of three truffles inside. It wasn't like she had a choice, if she wants them to let her live in peace until next year Valentine's Day," Yagyuu said.

"Hihihihi!" Ryoga laughed. _Plop! _Another chocolate in the mouth. "Mmn Mmn Mmn…! Say, …mmn mmn mmn…, tell me something else. Mmn mmn mmn…!"

"What is it?"

"Is there any of you guys who likes wasabi (1)?"

"Huh? Wasabi?" Yagyuu cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Wasabi. Is there someone of you who likes wasabi?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Who's that wasabi-guy? Who's that dork? What kind of weirdo is he? A jerk? A playboy? An arrogant ass? A-…"

"You already know him," Yagyuu said. "But why do you want to know?"

"_WHAT IS HIS NAME?_" Ryoga continued yelling, not listening to Yagyuu. "Tell me now! I'm sure he's a absolute prick whose head is to inflated for his own good and for everyone's good! He needs me to teach him a lesson! I'm going to kill him! No! First, I'm going to make that git suffer with a lot of pain! Then torture him again and again. Then, skin him alive. Then chainsaw him into little pieces. Then-…! "

"_YUUJI RYUU!_" Yagyuu roared. "I'm not going to tell you anything it you don't tell me the reason why you want to know who is this wasabi-person!" Yagyuu interrupted.

"Haaaa…" Yagyuu heard Ryoga let out a long and heavy sigh. At least, he stopped.

_'Finally!' _Yagyuu thought, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He waited for Ryoga to talk.

"Last night, when Chibisuke was making chocolate, she put wasabi in some of them. I was curious because no one fills chocolate with wasabi. I asked her why she did it. She told me it was because there was a senpai who really likes wasabi…" Ryoga stopped momentary.

"And?"

"**_AND SHE BLUSHED DAMN IT!_**" Ryoga yelled in the phone. Yagyuu winced and pulled away the phone far far far away from his ear, one finger plugged in. "She _blushed_! Blushed! Bloody hell, she _B-L-U-S-H-E-_D!"

"What's wrong with that, Ryoma-chan blushing?" Yagyuu asked.

"Chibisuke _NEVER_ blushes to anything! And on the top of everything, she was acting like a _**girl **_for kami-sama's sake! Like a _**G-I-R-L**_!"

"Ryoga, in case you haven't notice it yet, she **_IS _**a girl," Yagyuu calmly said.

"Not in her head and in her way to be! But yesterday, she behaved like a young teenager girl who is in lov-… Eh… Wait… _**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_" Ryoga freaked out. "No way! She cannot be having a cru-… _*beep* _(Ryoga refused to say the forbidden word) on a guy? No! No way! It's impossible! This cannot be true! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! What is happening? It must be the end of the world! Chibisuke cannot be in l-… _*beep*_! (He refused to use _that _word, which would be against the law of the nature if applied to Ryoma). That's it! That wasabi-guy must have brainwash her. It must be that! He had brainwasher her! Brainwash! Ah! Huh? Wait. Brainwash? A normal human cannot brainwash people… Then… (Silence). Ahhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So he's an alien! An alien had brainwashed my little sister! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! **_Nooooooooooo!_** What should I do? What should I do? What should I do to cure her back to normal? What-…"

". . ." Yagyuu was no longer listening.

Right now, he was holding his cellphone in his right hand, only staring at it. He was wondering how such thinking could have take place in his cousin's head. How did it start? What brought him to think stupidity like that? When did it start? How did it turn out so crazy? Once again, he was amazed by how some people's brain work in their quite unique (weird and insane) way. Anyway, while letting Ryoga freaking himself out as much as he wanted (as much as he needed), Yagyuu didn't have any other choice but to wait for Ryoga to finish. Even if he didn't want to wait. Ryoga was so loud that it was impossible to ignore him. Beside, everyone around him could hear Ryoga freaking out from in his cellphone. They wondered how a stoic boy like Yagyuu Hiroshi could know such a loud person? It was really unlike Yagyuu Hiroshi to admit this kind of person in his private circle of acquaintance. As for Yagyuu, he kept staring stoically at his cellphone. It was useless trying to stop Ryoga when he was in this state. Yagyuu knew it better than anyone else. Why? Because he (sadly) had many experiences of his cousin's (nonsense) outbursts during his childhood life.

_'Is this what people call a crazy overprotective older brother? If it's the case, then I pity Ryoma-chan! How did she manage to handle this guy up to today? I must admit that she is admirably courageous to be able to bear him all her live. But then again, it's not like she has a choice since she lives with him. Ah! Maybe it's because of him that she knows how to handle so well Kirihara's, Marui's, Niou's and Ootori's childishness. Ryoma-chan, you have my admiration for living so long with this crazy guy and not loosing your head yet!'_

After a long, long, long, time, his cellphone finally became quiet. Yagyuu checked his wristwatch.

". . ."

Sixteen. Sixteen minutes. More precisely sixteen minutes and twenty two seconds. Sixteen minutes and twenty two seconds of nonstop and nonsense freaking and annoying rambling. Yagyuu sighed.

_'This is definitely him. He really didn't change from ten years ago!' _he thought. _'I was hoping that he has become wiser and more mature with the years, but it seems that it is not the case. I guess I was asking too much from kami-sama.'_ Sigh.

Yagyuu put his cellphone back on his ear.

"Have you finish making a fool out of yourself now?" Yagyuu asked.

"Ha… Ha… Ha… Yeah… Ha… Ha… Ha…" Ryoga said, panting.

He took a big breath and pulled himself together.

"So, tell me now, who is that wasabi-guy?"

* * *

Fuji, alone in his room, was sat in his armchair, legs crossed. He was holding the small chocolate box Ryoma gave him this afternoon. He had been contemplating it for quite a while, a soft expression in his eyes.

_'Ryoma-chan… I completly forgot about what happened yesterday.'_

He had forgotten that Ryoma was… forced (he too admitted it) to make chocolate for everyone if she wanted to live in peace until next Valentine's Day. He was so stressed out that he had forgot about something so simple. This was something very unusual from him. He rarely forgot anything. But he also realized that since he met Ryoma, many unsual thing happened to him. Her unique personality caught him off his balance and made him changed in many ways. And more than once. And Yukimura had used that fact against him. Fuji laughed at himself, remembering his conversation with Yukimura.

_'He really got me.'_

Yukimura had purposely made him jealous. He really thought that Ryoma gave Yukimura chocolate because she probably had feelings for him. And he was jealous. Jealous of Yukimura Seiichi.

_'First, Tezuka. And now, Yukimura.'_

* * *

Fuji brought his attention back to Ryoma's gift. He smiled. He took the yellow ribbon he removed from the white box. Leaning in his chair, he examined the ribbon. There were many wrinkles in the ribbon. Fuji smiled again.

_'This is definitely Ryoma's signature,'_ he thought.

She must had redone the bow of the ribbon over and over again because she was unskillfull with her hands.

_'Tying this bow must have been a pain for her.'_ He chuckled.

Yet, she put all her effort into doing it until she finally succeed to tie a… a (maybe) acceptable bow (yet still bad from the perspective of normal people with a normal artistic judgment). Normally, a girl would take a new ribbon and redone the bow without any wrinkle. But Fuji guessed that Ryoma wasn't sure that she would succeed to do another acceptable bow like this one, so she let it as it was. He also thought that he much preferred her badly done bow than a perfectly done one. This wrinkled ribbon just showed how much she worked hard to do it.

_'This is is much more like herself.' _He softly laughed.

Delicately, he put the ribbon back on his desk and turned his chair to face his window, through which the moon was shining brightly up in the sky. Crossing his hands on his knees, he leaned in his chair, contemplating the round pearl in the blue velvet mantle of the night. He remembered today's day.

_'Today was very funny. This morning, I was loathing today's day. But now, I'm happy that I live today's Valentine Day.'_

He brought the box up to the level of his eyes.

_'Only because she gave me this Valentine chocolate present.'_

Fuji smiled.

_'And handmade Valentine chocolate by her hands…'_

He caressed the surface of the cover of the box.

_'I'm still amazed at how she can make me change my opinion so fast and so easily_…'

He looked up at the moon again, closing his eyes.

_'Ryoma-chan, I have fallen very hard for you…'_

He relaxed in his chair, letting the last thought echoing in his heart and soul.

* * *

After a very long moment, Fuji opened his eyes again. His long and elegant fingers swept again on the cover of the small box. Then, he removed it. He picked up a small brown truffle. He smiled.

_'This will be the very first time that I eat a Valentine chocolate gift.'_

Slowly, he brought the small cocoa ball up to his mouth, but stopped. The smell of the cocoa caressed his nose. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the candy, thoroughly enjoying it. Then, slowly again, he slide the small ball trough his lips and closed them. As soon as it touched his tongue, the soft candy released it sweetness… and another taste.

Fuji opened wide his eyes at this new taste. It was a taste of an ingredient which people normally didn't put in chocolate. Through the sweetness of the cocoa, there was a strong taste of bitterness. Not the bitterness of the cocoa or a sharp and acrid bitterness, but a bitterness which Fuji was very found on.

Fuji's eyes softened while his lips stretched into a tender smile. He thought about the maiden who made the chocolate.

_'Ryoma…'_

Maybe she was the only person who would think about putting this particular ingredient in the chocolate. The delicacy of her gest and her dedication made his heart chimed. Even though she was forced to make chocolate, she still wholeheartedly did her work. An indescribable feeling of serene happiness lit in Fuji's heart. Outside, the moon watched the motionless young man sat in his chair. Its light brushed over the young man's calm features, making his skin shined in a dew light blue halo. Under the light of the moon, the feeling of the dedication pourred inside the handmade chocolate ran in every parts of the young man's body.

_'She would be the only who would think about putting wasabi in the chocolate… And only for me…'_

* * *

"So, tell me now, who is that wasabi-guy?" Ryoga asked.

"It's Fuji." Yagyuu answered.

"Fuji…?"

"Fuji Syuusuke."

"Fuji Syuusuke… You mean Yuuta's elder brother?"

"Yes. Have you already forget about him?"

Ryoga reflected a moment. He remembered a brunette boy with permanent close eyes and an eery smile, who always maintained himself elegantly.

"I remember…" Ryoga stopped talking a moment.

Yagyuu waited for him to continue.

"Hiroshi, what do you think about him, Fuji Syuusuke?" Ryoga asked in a very serious voice.

Yagyuu cocked an eyebrow, very surprised. He wondered what was the purpose behind Ryoga's question.

* * *

1) wasabi: Japanese horseradish. (Don't ask me why there is a horse inside! I don't know. I can't answer to that one!) Usually comes under the form of a soft green paste and served alongside with ginger pickles when you eat sushi. Extremely strong spice, stronger than chili pepper or hot mustard.

However, the taste doesn't stay on the tongue like chili pepper does. Within the first seconds the wasabi touches your tongue, you have the impression that you had just set your tongue in fire (Call the fireman! You will need them!). For people who haven't eat wasabi yet: the reaction of Inui's juice victims in the PoT* (see the * under) animation are very close to the reality for the first bite of wasabi (and probably the second and the third too). The flavour is so strong that you cannot stop your tears to overflow out from your eyes. Once you swallow everything, the bad taste will be swallowed too, so you no longer feel it on the tongue. On the other hand, you won't forget how much it had burn you. Wasabi is like a bomb paste disguised as a food condiment!

By the way, this is my personal description of wasabi! I don't share the same opinion with the wasabi-lovers (like Fuji for instance!). I don't really understand the art of eating wasabi, so my opinion is not very reliable to judge on its true value and wonder. Sorry for all the wasabi-lovers if you feel offended you by my lack of knowledge and appreciation of wasabi. I only ate wasabi once and that bad experience got stuck - permanently I should add - in my memory. And forever! I know I should take another try to change my memory but I absolutely refuse to eat wasabi again!

And now that I think about it, I think I have an idea of why there is a horse in wasabi. When you eat wasabi, you can run as fast as a horse to the nearest water point. Or who can run as fast as a horse when you want to AVOID eating wasabi, just like Inui juice victims.

* PoT as in Prince of Tennis and not PoT as pot, illegal substance mind you (though I personally think that wasabi _should_ be labeled as an illegal substance!)

* * *

A/N: So again, _**IF**_ there is one guy who is reading this story, please answer to my questions. Why do you read this story? How did you stumble on it? Do you find it cheesy and boring? Is there anything which is not cheesy and boring? Please answer me. You can do it with a review, if you don't have any problem with that, or by a personal message if you prefer. I assure you that I don't have any purpose other than pure curiosity for asking. Thank you again!

Oh! And I'm not posting anything until next week because you already have your weekly treat this week! So see you again next week! And thank you for reviewing!


	58. Of a worried brother

A/N: Woa! There are actually guys (guy-guy guys with XY chromosomes mind you) who are reading this story! When I learned it, I was dumbstruck by disbelieve. So even the weirdest thing can happen in this world. But I was very happy too. It encouraged me to work harder to write this story!

Oh! And also just for fun, I went to check on the Internet if wasabi chocolate existed. And guess what? It does! There are actually REAL wasabi chocolate candies sold in store in Japan. And the most surprising, wasabi truffle chocolate existed too! The pictures of wasabi truffle chocolate looked yummy too, but I'm not sure I want to eat them, even if I love chocolate.

And now, chapter 58 for you. Enjoy!

* * *

From last time…

"Hiroshi, what do you think about him, Fuji Syuusuke?" Ryoga asked in a very serious voice.

Yagyuu cocked an eyebrow, very surprised. He wondered what was the purpose behind Ryoga's question.

* * *

"What do you think about him, Fuji Syuusuke?" Ryoga asked.

"What do you mean? Thinking what about him?" Yagyuu asked back.

"About his personality."

". . ." Yagyuu didn't answer. "Ryoga, before answering everything, tell me why do you want to know about his personality? What do you have in your mind?"

". . ." Ryoga didn't answer.

"I won't tell you anything if you don't tell me your reason," Yagyuu said.

"Ha…" Ryoga sighed. "Normally, I would be happy if this happen to her, but I'm not. Chibisuke, I suspect that she is starting to have feelings for Fuji Syuusuke. However, there is just something about him that I cannot grab, that I don't understand. And that makes me worried. So that's why I want to know what do you think about him. If you have a little sister who likes Fuji Syuusuke, what would you think about it? How would you feel? What will you do?"

". . ." Yagyuu waited a moment.

_'He is being very serious…' _Yagyuu thought, deeply frowning.

Yagyuu reflected a moment about what to say to built up his answer. He took a breath.

"Fuji Syuusuke is a very reliable and honorable man. He always takes his responsibilities to heart. He has only one word. If he makes a promise, then you will be sure he will keep it. If I have a little sister who likes him, I would feel relieve that she choose Fuji Syuusuke because I know that he can sincerely love her back and will make her happy…"

"Ah…" Yagyuu heard Ryoga sighed in relieve.

"However…" Yagyuu continued.

". . ." Ryoga didn't like the "however" from Yagyuu.

* * *

Japan. Chiba-ken (1). Narita Kokusai Kuuko (2).

A private jet from France landed. Immediately, people hurried to fix a stair to the door of the jet. The door opened. From inside stepped out two passengers, an old woman, elegantly dressed in a lavender elegant chic cut dress, and a young girl, equally elegantly dressed but in a royal blue travelling chic dress.

"_Nous voici de retour_," the old woman said. (French translation: Here we are back.)

"_Oui, grand-mère_," the girl answered. (Yes, grandmother.)

A man of a respectful age came to them and bowed to them.

"_Madame, mademoiselle, je vous souhaite un bon retour au Japon_," the man politely greeted. (My lady, mademoiselle, I welcome back to Japan).

"Jenkin," the old lady said, acknowledging the old valet.

"Obaa-sama (3), ojou-sama (4), please, follow me. The car is waiting for you in this way," Jenkin said.

The old woman and the young lady nodded. The man guided them to where a Rolls-Royce was waiting for them.

* * *

Back to Ryoga and Yagyuu.

"However…" Yagyuu continued.

". . ."

Ryoga didn't like the "however" from Yagyuu.

"However, my supposed little sister's situation and Ryoma's one are different, Ryoga…" Yagyuu said.

". . ."

Ryoga didn't say anything for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Ryoga asked.

"My little sister would be an Yagyuu, Ryoga. And Ryoma… she is an Echizen…" Yagyuu said.

". . ."

Silence again from Ryoga.

* * *

Inside the limousine.

"Lavinia, we will be there soon," the old lady said.

"Hai, obaa-sama," the young girl responded.

* * *

"My little sister would be an Yagyuu, Ryoga. And Ryoma… she is an Echizen…" Yagyuu said.

Silence again from Ryoga.

"…Continue…"

"Unlike you, Ryoga, Fuji Syuusuke is prisoner of his name."

* * *

Inside the Rolls-Royce.

On the way to their house, no one was speaking. Jenkin kept his eyes on the road and drove. The young girl watched the scenery outside through the window of the car. The old woman too was watching outside the car, but she didn't see anything in front of her. Her attention was drifted somewhere else.

* * *

"Fuji Syuusuke is prisoner of his family name," Yagyuu said. "He is chained to his responsibilities. If I was a simple Echizen and Ryoma was my little sister, I would immediately discourage her from loving Fuji. And the faster I can make her forget about Fuji, the better it would be for her. And the less she will be hurt in the future."

". . ." Ryoga didn't say anything.

"Ryoma's world and Fuji's world are different. And you know it better than anyone else, Ryoga."

* * *

In the quiet Rolls-Royce.

Thousand and thousand thoughts were running in the old woman's mind. She thought about her life.

* * *

Flashback

She remembered the time when she was still a young and sweet nature maiden. Then, she was married to her husband and moved to live with his illustrious family. She remembered the joy she felt when she was pregnant with her first child. And the horrible pain when she lost it by miscarriage on her third month of pregnancy. She remembered her pain at her husband's deception and how the family of her husband's side treated her after. She remembered the pressure she put on herself to attempt to have another child. Alas, this one too was lost to her before his birth on her fifth month of pregnancy… in an accident car.

She remembered very well the black world in which she lived following the lost of her second child. And the mockery and disdain her family-in-law showed toward her certainly didn't help her. Her sisters-in-law always taunted her with their many children and sneered at her that one of them would be the heir since she couldn't give birth to a boy for her husband. To ensure that one of their children be the heir, her sisters-in-law came up with an horrible plot. They told everyone that she became mad after the lost of her second unborn child and even provided fake proves of the said madness, forged with the help of doctors they corrupted with money. Her sisters-in-law succeed to have her send into an asylum, arguing that it was the only way to do for the well-being of the whole family. She really became mad after leaving a certain time in the asylum.

However, her will and her desire to live were stronger than her madness. When everyone believed that she was lost forever, she recovered. She was reborned as a new woman, a woman without a heart. All the suffering she had been through had hardened her heart. She built a thick wall around it. She refused to allow herself to be hurt again. She ordered her heart to be immunized against the pain and the grief. And she no longer allowed anyone to step on her anymore. Her sisters-in-law and her family-in-law less than anyone else.

After her reborn, she no longer walked with her head down like a proper submissive spouse and daughter-in-law in her husband's family. She walked with her chin high, her eyes focused only toward her unique and personal goal. She discarded everything which dared to step in the middle of her way. With her newly healed body and mind, she gave birth to a child. A boy. She remembered the joy of her husband when he hold the sleeping quiet baby in his arm… and her sisters-in-law's utter choc when she smirked at them her triumphal smile. The heir of the family would be _HER_ son, not their.

However, misfortune still pursued her. Her child's constitution was very weak. When he contracted the tuberculosis, he couldn't fight against the sickness and died at the young age of 7. No one saw her grieved or sheded a single tear, even at the funeral of the young boy. However, her sisters-in-law couldn't mock her anymore. The haughty and superior way she looked down at them was unbearable for them to look straight to her. Each time they crossed eyes with her, they immediately casted them down, feeling fearful. Her sisters-in-law soon came to understand that they could no longer hurt her or harm her anymore. All their underhand, dirty, deceitful, petty and mean attacks against her had made her strong and invincible.

After the dead of her 7 years old child, she gave birth to four boys. All four were super and healthy babies. With an iron hand and a hard will and heart, she raised them into extremely accomplished young men. They were highly intelligent. Each of them graduated school as valedictorian of their promotion. Her eldest and the heir took over the family corporation and made it growing constantly. The second, at the very young age of twenty five, become a renowned and respected professor and researcher at the Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku (5). The third one was blessed with the gift of foreign languages. He often travelled to various places in Europe to develop diplomatic relationships between these countries with Japan. Eventually, he was also appointed to be ambassador for Japan in the United Kingdom. However, her last son was nothing like her three exceptional and illustrious elder sons. He was a sweet and gentle nature young man, unfitted to be a leader, a researcher or an ambassador. The only he was good at was staying all day in his library and reading, reading on everything: history, literature, psychology, fine art, technology, science… He read all the books which had the lucky chance to fall under his hand. Or the unlucky chance because he loved so much reading that he could read over and over one same book until it was worn out. He had signed a few number of books himself, but the books he wrote were best-sellers for over months. His publisher was pressed to re-print over and over his novels because the bookstores were always running out of stocks.

Even so, a fact was obvious: all her four children were blessed and gifted by the gods. Her family-in-law no longer had reason to said that she was a shame of their family. On the other hand, they had to be grateful to her because she gave birth to such wonderful sons. Her children were beyond reproached. They were the shiny future of the family. Her family-in-law had to bow their head to her. It came that her sisters-in-law had to beg for her mercy. Because her sisters-in-law didn't properly raised their children, their children turned out to be rotten spoiled young men and young women. They were often the object of social scandals or always asked for money to pay their debts, in which they were drowned over their head. Her sisters-in-law's children were the true shame of the family. However, it was only on her command that her own children would erase the stain and restored the family honor. Without her word, they won't do anything, even if the spoiled people were their relatives. She never aloud imperfection and failure, and her children learned very well their lessons from their mother. Eventually, she learned to feel proud of her children. And she felt truly happy for the first time ever since she was married into her husband's family.

Alas, when she finally experimented the feeling of hapiness, misfortune hit her again. This time, it hit harder than any other times. During the Great World War II, she lost her husband and her three elder sons. Only her last child was returned back to her. But he was on his way to death. The doctors did everything they could, but her last son didn't open his eyes. Feeling despair, she prayed. She prayed the god. Everyday, she walked by feet miles and miles to visit a temple and prayed, refusing to be driven by car despite her unstable state and despite all the servant's words. She visited all the temples in Tokyo and around Tokyo and prayed at all of them. Touched by her sincere wish and her true devotion in her prayers, the kami rewarded her. Kannon-kami, the Loving Mother and Goddess of Mercy, granted her wished. Her last child finally opened his eyes.

When she saw him awake in the hospital, she was so happy that she would grant him anything he wanted. Even accepting that he choose a woman she did not approve to be his wife. Instead of the the well-bread lady from another old and rich family she had chosen to be her future daughter-in-law, her last son had put his heart at the feet of a girl from a modest bourgeoisie family. Her son didn't stop desperately pleaded her everyday, to a point that the doctors were worried because his state of recovery was swinging and was threatening to get worse. The doctors came to talk to her and very clearly told her that she had to avoid anything which could bring him to swing on the other side of the thin line separating the life and the death. Fearing that she might lost the only child - and only true family, she had agreed to his son's choice of spouse. After that she said "Yes" to him, his recovery was so fast that one could said it was a miracle.

End flashback

* * *

The old woman closed her eyes and closed the door of the memory of her past life. That only one time that her iron heart had tottered - granting her son's only wish, she swore it would be the very last time. She breathed and opened her eyes to watched at her new future, at the young girl sat in front of her.

_'I will not repeat the same mistake that I did in the past,'_ the old lady thought.

She looked at the girl sat in front of her. Comtesse (6) Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle. She was born from two noble families. Her father was the earl of de Lavoiselle of France and her mother was the heiress of the honorable Hongou family of Japan. Countess Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle was the sole heiress of the Hongou family.

The old woman examined the features of the young girl sat in front of her. Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle was an outstanding beauty, a perfect result from the mix of an Asian and an European blood. From her father, she inherited his high nose and large forehead, two characteristics which conferred her her unmistakable presence despite her petite Asian figure from her mother. The large almond shape of her eyes also came from her father, striking anyone who looked at her. However, the dark blue color were from her mother. When she sound her interlocutor's soul, her eyes color swung into a mesmerising black. She has the presence of a proud French lady of the nobility and at the same time, she possessed the quiet, enchanting and mysterious aura of a Japanese woman.

Because of the both sides of her family, Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle was given the most perfect education a noble lady must received from her very young age. She spoke French, English, Japanese without any accent. If people only heard her speaking, they would think that she was a pure blood French, a pure blood Japanese or a pure blood Britain. Because of her father's work as an ambassador of France, she often travelled all around Europe with him and her mother. So, she also master Italian, Spanish, Russian and Germain. She was a perfect guest and mistress for all social party, knowing how to receive and to entertain the guests. Her physical was flawless. She was well born and well bread. She possessed everything a true noble young lady must possessed. Her educational scores too were flawless.

In one word, at every point,

_'She is perfect,' _the old woman thought.

* * *

"Ryoma's world and Fuji's world are different. And you know it better than anyone else, Ryoga," Yagyuu said. "Before you became Echizen Ryoga of the common world, you were Yuuji Ryuu of _this_ world."

". . ."

Ryoga said nothing and Yagyuu knew not to say anything too. Silence itself said enough about Ryoga's thoughts.

"Thank you, Hiroshi…" Ryoga trailed.

He hung down and stood where he was, not doing anything.

_'Chibisuke…'_

* * *

1) Chiba-ken: Prefecture of Chiba. Located on the coastline of Tokyo Bay. On the East side of Tokyo.

2) Narita Kokusai Kuukou: Narita International Airport. About 60 km from Tokyo downtown.

3) obaa-sama: a polite way to say "grandmother". Doesn't implied that the referred person is your grandmother. She can also simply be an elder woman.

4) ojou-sama: a polite way to refer to a young girl born from a wealthy family. Equivalent to "young mistress" or "my lady".

5) Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku : Tokyo Imperial University. In 1947, it was renamed Tokyo Daigaku, the actual Tokyo University.

6) comtesse: same as "countess", but in France.

A/N: Please take note. I will be on vacations starting this week. I will be somewhere in Alberta (West Canada). I should be back by half August so I won't update until August 15 (because I'm not sure I can have access to a computer). Sorry about that. But be sure the update will start again after August 15. Thank you for your patience!


	59. Meeting a new acquaintance

A/N: Hello! I'm finally back! I have no excuse. I had a writer block. It was hard to put myself back again in the story. I guess that vacations don't do good to me. But here's the new chapter for you. Thank you for being so patient.

Enjoy!

* * *

Notice:

"Ryoma…" : normal conversation;

_"Au secour! Aidez-moi s'il vous plaît!"_ : French conversation.

* * *

"Ryoma…" a voice called.

Ryoma snapped her eyes open.

"It's you again!" Ryoma said. "Who are you?"

"Ryoma…"

This time, the voice was behind her. Ryoma turned on her heels. In front of her, a light shined.

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked again.

The light became brighter and a person appeared in front of Ryoma. It was a young woman. Ryoma looked at. It was a woman around thirty. She had brown hair and gray eyes. She was dressed in a simple white strap dress down to her knees.

"Ryoma…" the woman said. "Finally, I meet you."

"Who… Who are you?" Ryoma asked again.

The woman simply smiled.

"Who I am is not important. The most important thing here is you, Ryoma," the woman said.

Ryoma cocked an eyebrow, not understanding. The woman simply chuckled.

"Why do you always call me?" Ryoma asked.

The woman turned her head away, as if she was watching at someone somewhere.

"It is time for him. And only you can make him do it," the woman said, her expression gentle and her voice soft.

"Huh? Him? Who?" Question marks popped up on Ryoma's head.

The woman chuckled again, then turned her head to Ryoma. She examined Ryoma from the head to the toe. Ryoma didn't move, letting the woman watching her. Somehow, Ryoma felt that the woman in front of her wasn't a bad person. There was like a maternal love emitting from her.

"I understand why he is so found on you," the woman said, smiling again, but in a particular way.

A very particular way.

Ryoma opened wide her eyes.

_'There is something… _familiar_ with her smile,'_ Ryoma thought.

* * *

_Beep beep beep beep bee-! _

_Clack!_

Ryoma pressed the button of her alarm clock. She dropped her arm on her bad, grunting. Her eyelids still felt heavy. Suddenly, something wet lick her face. Ryoma opened her eyes to meet with two blue orbs.

"Meow…" Karupin greeted.

Ryoma smiled. She put her hand on his head and pet him.

"Oyayou, Karupin," Ryoma said, scratching behind his ears.

"Purrrrrrrrr…"

Karupin felt like in the 7th heaven. His mistress was the best ears-scratcher in the world. The door of Ryoma's bedroom opened. Ryoga silently stepped in to see her already wake up. Ryoga frowned. Lately, he didn't have to wake her up himself. It worried him a little bit because it was unusual. Ryoga walked to Ryoma's bed and sat on.

"She appears again?" Ryoga asked, mentionning about the woman in Ryoma's occuring dream.

"Hn," Ryoma nodded while sitting up, taking the fluffy cat in her arm. She pet Karupin while remembering about her dream again. "This time, I talked with her."

"What did you say?"

". . ." Ryoma tilted her head, thinking again. "I don't remember."

Ryoga sligthly felt in anime style, sweat dropping.

_'I should have expect this answer from her,'_ he thought.

"Anyway, go wash your face and get change. Breakfast is ready. Kaa-san made your favorite today," Ryoga said as he stood and left her room.

Ryoma grinned and jumped out of her.

* * *

Ryoma took the _tamari_ (soya sauce), the _wakame_ (seaweed), the _gyuunyuu_ (milk) _tofu _and the _miso_ and put them in her basket.

"_Taroko_ (pollock), _saba_ (makerel), _tarabagani_ (king drab), _nasu_ (eggplant), _goya_ (biter melon), _daikon_ (Japanes white radish), _hakusai_ (Chinese cabbage), _takenoko_ (bamboo shoots), _shimeji_ (mushroom) _renkon_ (lotus root), _negi _(onion)…" Ryoma read over the shopping list Rinko gave her. "I think I have everything," she concluded.

"No, you forgot one thing," Ryoga said, appearing with a 2L bottle of soya milk. "You drank all the _tounyuu_ this morning."

Ryoma pouted.

"I'm a growing girl," she said.

"That doesn't give you any excuse!" Ryoga replied as he took her basket. "Come on, let's go and pay."

* * *

The brother and the sister stepped out of the super market, each carrying shopping bag. But as they were going to cross the street, a girl ran pass in front of them.

_"Au secour! Aidez-moi s'il vous plaît!" _the girl called.

"Huh?" Ryoma turned her head to see three big boys running after the girl.

_"Ah!"_ the girl screamed as she tripped and fall.

Her three pursuers laughed manically as they walked to her. But as one of them - a skinny guy with long sunglasses and spiky green hair - was going to touch her,

_Splash!  
_

"What?" the three guys yelled when they saw themselves covered with some wet and white… paste _thing_. They were covered with tofu. Ryoga had threw one of his shopping bad to their head.

"Why you?" the guys forgot about the girl and turned to face Ryoga and Ryoma, angry.

"Ah!" Ryoma yelled when she clearly saw their face. "My tofu!"

"Chibisuke, it's their fault!" Ryoga innocently said while pointing a finger to the guys.

Ryoma clenched and fists and growled.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Why you!" She grew into a bid giant she-devil from Hell, fire dancing in her eyes and around her. The three guys got scared and ran away. However, Ryoma didn't forgive them. She chased after them, yelling and dancing her fists in the air. "Come back here! Give me back my tofu!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Someone help!" the guys screamed for help.

Ryoga and the girl watched them disappearing at a corner of the street.

"Ouf! That was close!" Ryoga said, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "She and her Japanese food… But sometime, it's not such a bad thing that she has her PMS." Ryoga brought his attention back to the girl and approached her. He put the remaining of his shopping bags down and crouched down next to her. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" he nicely asked.

_"Ah…"_ the girl only said, hesitantly pointing her finger to where Ryoma disappeared. She was still looking at the direction where Ryoma turned.

"Don't worry about her. It's more for them that you should worry for, since it is _her_ who is chasing after them," Ryoga said. "Here, let me help you."

He took the girl's arm and slowly helped her up.

_"Aie!"_ the girl winced.

Ryoma looked down to see a red spot on her right leg and a blue one on the ankle. She scratched herself when she fall and probably twist her ankle too.

"Ah! Don't move." Ryoga looked around, searching for a comfortable place to sit. He spotted a bench under a clock. "Here. Let me help you go there so I can take a look at your wound." Ryoga brought her to the bench and helped her sit on. "Now, let me see your leg." Ryoga went on one knee and carefully took her right foot in his hand. The girl slightly pulled on her long skirt to make it easier for him. Ryoga examined her ankel and slightly try to make it move. The girl winced again. Ryoga immediately stopped. He pulled out from his back pocket his handkerchief to wipe the blood on the knee, then wrapped it around her ankle. When he finished, he stood up and said, "The scratch won't be a problem, but you really twist your ankle. You won't be able to walk for a while. You should take care of it as soon as you can before it gets worst."

The girl looked up at him.

_"Je vous remercie beaucoup,"_ she said.

"Eh?" Ryoga said.

"She said 'Thank you very much' in French," Ryoma translated, appearing next to him.

"Oh! Chibisuke, you're back," Ryoga said. "What about them?"

"They bumped into a policeman so they ended up in his office."

"Lucky guys!" Ryoga said. Those guys were spared from Ryoma's fury.

"Why bad guys always got so lucky?" Ryoma groaned. "At least, I got the policeman to make them pay for my tofu," Ryoma said, showing the money she hold in her hand. "I'm going inside again," she said as she entered the grocery again. "How dare they? Destoying **_my_** tofu!" Ryoga and the girl heard her mumbled between her teeth.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold it for you?" Ryoga asked, pointing to the shopping bag which contained her newly bought tofu.

Ryoma pulled the back against her, refusing to leave to him.

"It's fine. I can hold it myself," she said. She wanted to make sure that her tofu would be saved until they reached home.

_'I don't trust you,'_ her eyes were saying.

Ryoga shruggred his shoulders. Ryoma ignored him and turned to the girl, who was still sat on the bench.

_"Allez-vous bien? Est-ce que vous pouvez marcher?"_ Ryoma asked. (Are you alright? Can you walk?)

_"Oh! Vous pouvez parler français! Comme je suis heureuse! Je crois que je me suis fait une entorse, mais ça devrait aller. Merci de vous en inquiéter,"_ the girl answered. (Oh! You can speak French! I'm so happy! And I think I twist my ankle, but it should be fine. Thank you for worrying.)

_"Que vous est-il arrivé? Pourquoi ces garçons vous poursuivent-ils?"_ Ryoma asked. (What happened to you? Why did those guys chase after you?)

_"Je n'avais pas d'argent sur moi à leur donner et je ne voulais pas les suivre. Alors, ils se sont faits menaçants,"_ the girl andswered. (I didn't have money on me to give them and I refused to follow them. So, they became brutish.)

_"Oh. Je vois. Et…" _Ryoma said. (Oh. I see. And…)

"Hey! Would you two stop a moment please! I'm still here, you know!" Ryoga interrupted.

"Oops. Sorry," Ryoma said.

Ryoga rolled his eyes.

"So what happen to her? Why those guys were after her?" he asked.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude," the girl spoke in Japanese.

"Ah! You can speak Japanese!" Ryoga exclaimed. "I thought you could just speak French."

"My mother is Japanese so I know Japanese. It just that I feel more comfortable speaking in French."

"So, what happen to you?" Ryoga asked again.

"I got separated with the people who were with me. Then, I got lost. When I was going to call them on my cellphone when someone bumped into me. I dropped my cellphone out of the window and a car crushed it. That was when those guys appeared," the girl explained.

"That's a kind of an unlucky day for you, today," Ryoma said.

"Hn," the girl nodded, agreeing. "I just came here from France last week. I'm not still very used and I'm a little bit desperate right now." She sighed.

"Well, you fall victime of a group of bad guys," Ryoga said. "From what you said, it's a very common trick for bad guys who want money fast. Usually, they do this to foreigner, and you are obviously a foreigner. And from your clothing and the way you maintain yourself, you are not a commoner too."

"Aniki, you have your cellphone?" Ryoma asked.

"Where's yours?"

"Since I was going with you and you have yours, I left mine at home," Ryoma answered.

"Ha…" Ryoga rolled his eyes and searched in his pocket. "Okay, here it is." He flipped his cellphone open and… "Ara? The battery is dead."

"Ha…" This time, it was Ryoma who rolled her eyes.

"Here, why don't you go with us at home? I can carry you. It's not very far," Ryoga proposed. "Then you can call your people and tell down to come to fetch you."

"Is it alright?" the girl asked.

"Sure it is," Ryoma replied. "Beside, we finished our commissions."

"Then thank you very much. You save me," the girl said, smiling. "By the way, I haven't ask your name yet."

"Echizen Ryoga, yoroshiku," Ryoga introduced himself. "And this is my sister, Echizen Ryoma. She's a freshman of Seiyou Academy."

"Yoroshiku," Ryoma said.

"Oh! So you're a freshman. You're only two years younger than me. And here I thought you were still a middle junior school grader. You're so short," the girl said, clapping her hands.

"Hmph!" Ryoma ticked an eye.

"Pfffffft! Hum hum hum hum!" Ryoga snickered behind his hands. "Hmn hmn hmn hm-… (_STOMP!_) OWw-…! Hnnnn…!" A painful stomp on his foot from his little sister (in the two meanings of the term) told him it was better to stop laughing.

"Huhuhu!" the girl chuckled. She introduced herself. "My name is Lavinia de Lavoiselle, and it is also a pleasure for me to meet you. Please, take care of me."

* * *

A/N: School is starting again. This fall, I have a hectic schedule. I start at 9 in the morning and finish at 9:30 evening, and for four days a week. I also have Saturday and Sunday classes. I only the Friday afternoon after 6 p.m. free. Which is why my updating rate will slow down. So please, don't be surprised if you won't see a new chapter by the end of a week. I will still try to spare a little bit of time to continue writing this story. So please, be very patient with me. Thank you.


	60. Happy Birthday or not?

From last time…

"Echizen Ryoga, yoroshiku," Ryoga introduced himself. "And this is my sister, Echizen Ryoma. She's a freshman of Seiyou Academy."

"Yoroshiku," Ryoma said.

"Oh! So you're a freshman. You're only two years younger than me. And here I thought you were still a middle junior school grader. You're so short," the girl said, clapping her hands.

"Hmph!" Ryoma ticked an eye.

"Pfffffft! Hum hum hum hum!" Ryoga snickered behind his hands. "Hmn hmn hmn hm-… (_STOMP!_) OWw-…! Hnnnn…!" A painful stomp on his foot from his little sister (in the two meanings of the term) told him it was better to stop laughing.

"Huhuhu!" the girl chuckled. She introduced herself. "My name is Lavinia de Lavoiselle, and it is also a pleasure for me to meet you. Please, take care of me."

* * *

The next day…

_Ding dong!_

"Coming!" Ryoma said as she went to open.

On the door step, it was the girl of yesterday.

"Miyabi-san!" Ryoma said.

Miyabi smiled.

"Oyahou, Ryoma-chan," Miyabi greeted.

"Er, ohayou." Ryoma blushed. Again, she lacked of good manners. Miyabi chuckled.

"Chibisuke, who is it?" Ryoga asked as he came. "Oh! Miyabi-san, oyahou."

"Ohayou, Ryoga-san," Miyabi greeted back.

"Please, come in." Ryoga turned to Ryoma. "Chibisuke, you don't leave guest on the door step. Where are yours manners?"

Ryoma sighed.

"I was going to when you interrupted," Ryoma said, rolling her eyes. Miyabi smiled again. She really liked the two brother and sister. They were so funny together. "And please come in. You can also step on him since he is blocking your way," Ryoma said, pointing to Ryoga.

"Hey!" Ryoga protested.

"Huhuhu!" Miyabi chuckled as she followed them inside.

* * *

"Miyabi-san, ohayou," Rinko said when she saw Miyabi.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Echizen-fusai, Nanako-san," Miyabi bowed.

"Oyahou," Nanako said.

"'yo," Nanjirou said, looking brievely up from his newspaper.

"Here, take a seat," Nanako invited her.

"Thank you." Miyabi sat next to Ryoma.

"So, what brings you here this morning?" Ryoga asked.

Miyai turned her head to the old man who was following her.

"Jenkin," she called.

"Hai, ojou-sama," Jenkin said as she put some wrapped boxes on the table.

"I want to thank you for yesterday," Miyabi said. "Please, accept this as a token of my gratitude."

"There is no need to," Rinko nicely said. "It's just very normal."

"For me, it is very important. I just came here and I'm not very familiar with the city. You safe me yesterday. I'm very happy to have meet nice people like you."

The family smiled.

"Well, it is also a pleasure for us for meeting you," Nanjirou said.

They chatted a moment. They asked Miyabi about her family and she answered everything to them. She told them about her life in France and everything. After a moment, Rinko talked.

"Ryoga, Ryoma, why don't you two show the town to Miyabi? Today is Sunday. There is a special attraction downtown in the Mall center. You can also bring her to the Tower," Rinko said.

"Oh, please don't!" Miyabi protested. "I don't want to bother you."

"You're not," Ryoga said. "We planed to go downtown today anyway. You're not disturbing us."

"Besides, aniki is paying for the food, so it's more fun," Ryoma added.

"Hey you! Why am I paying again?!" Ryoga protested.

"You have a job, you earn money. So, it's absolutely normal," Ryoma responded, deadpanned.

"Why you… Grrrrrrr!"

Ryoga and Ryoma went into a heat verbal fight. Nanjirou, Rinko and Nanako were amused and Karupin wasn't bothered. Watching them be so at ease while she was there, a stranger of the family, Miyabi herself couldn't help but laughing too.

* * *

The school bell rang. Ryoma packed her things and left the class. Since there was no practice today, she decided to go back home earlier.

Outside, in a tree, two boys totally dressed - like ninjas - were watching her walking out of the school entrance door. One of them focused his binocular on her.

"The target is out," ninja number A-1 said.

His companion took out a talkie-walkie phone.

"She is coming in your way," ninja number A-2 said.

In another tree, two other ninjas were waiting news from the team A. One of them answered the talkie-walkie.

"Roger," ninja B-1 said. He turned to his companion. "She is coming. Is the trap ready?"

Ninja B-2 showed him the net in his hands.

"Ready," B-2 said. He looked down and talked to the ninja B-3. "She's coming. Get ready!"

"Roger!" ninja B-3 saluted in a military stand.

"Team B, we are coming to help now!" ninja A-2 said through the talkie- walkie. "She just walked out of our area!"

"Okay!" B-1 said.

* * *

Ryoma walked in the direction of the school gate, passing by row of sakura trees. Behind two trees, ninja A-1 and A-2 were spying her. A-1 had his hand raised, ready to give the signal to B-3. They all waited for Ryoma to make a few more steps.

1 step…

2 steps…

3 st-…!

"Now!" A-1 shouted and pointed his fingers down.

B-3 immediately pulled on the vinyl transparent fishing thread. Ryoma's foot got caught in the thread and she fell.

"Wah! Ouch!" Ryoma yelped and hit the ground.

She didn't have time to register what happen to her when a large net was thrown over her from a tree. Soon, something covered her head. She felt ropes tugging her.

"Mnh mnh mnh!" Ryoma tried to debate, but it was useless.

"Okay! We got her! Let's go!" a voice said.

The five boys lift Ryoma's body up and carried her away.

"Mhn mhn mhn!!!"

_'Let me gooooooooooooo!' _Ryoma screamed for help, but no one could hear her.

* * *

Night time. Fuji mansion.

Tonight was celebrated Fuji Syuusuke 18th year of birth. It wasn't his real birthday day (his real birthday day only came once every four years, on February 29th), but reaching the 18th year of birth was still important. Particularly this year, his parents came all the way from England to wish him happy birthday. Even his grandmother came from France. This had never happen before.

"Syuusuke, tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu (1)," a woman said. She was a middle age woman with brunette hair and permanently close eyes. Next to her was a man who had some gray hair and had gentle brown eyes.

"Omedetou, Syuusuke," the man said.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, chichi, haha (2)," Fuji said.

The two parents and the son talked together. Looking at them, people often wondered how two people which such normal presence could give birth to such a magnificent son. It was beyond their comprehension. Fuji Syuusuke's radiance exceeded so far his parents'.

"Syuusuke, tanjoubi omedetou."

Fuji turned around to see Yumiko, Kouki and their children, Touga and Sora.

"Nee-san, onii-san, arigatou," Fuji greeted them.

"Syuu-jiichan, tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu," two children said.

Fuji looked down to Touga and Sora in front of him.

"Touga-kun, Sora-chan, arigatou," Fuji said as he bend down to their level.

"Syuu-jiichan, this is for you!" Touga hold out a wrapped box with an envelope attached to it.

"It's our gift for you. We made it ourselves," Sora said with her soft voice.

"Really? Thank you," Fuji said. "I shall treasure it."

Touga and Sora beamed. Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kirihara and Kikumaru came running to Fuji.

"Fujiko! Fujiko!" Kikumaru excitedly yelled.

Fuji turned his attention to hem.

"Hum? What is it?" Fuji asked, smiling at their excitement.

"Nhehehehe!" Marui and Niou grinned sheepishly.

"Fuji, come with us!" Ootori said.

"We have a gift for you!" Kirihara said.

"Huh? A gift?"

"Yes! A gift!" Niou said.

"And you will love it!" Marui added.

"Er…"

"Come on! Let's go! It's this way!" Kikumaru said as he pulled Fuji's arm.

"H… Hai…" Fuji was rudely pulled away by Kikumaru.

* * *

They brought Fuji into another lounge.

"It's here!" Kikumaru proudly said, showing the entrance of the lounge.

"Here! Let's go, Fuji-senpai!" Kirihara pushed Fuji in the back.

"Er… Hai…" Fuji let Kirihara lead him to the middle of the room.

"Hihihi!" Marui and Niou grinned as they ran in front of Fuji, taking the first place for the coming show.

"He's here!" Marui shouted to the others regulars.

Hearing him, the regulars turned their head to Fuji.

"Fuji/Fuji/senpai, happy birthday!" they chorused.

"And this is your present from us!" Ootori proudly said, showing to… a body lying on a long chair.

"Ah! Ryoma-chan!" Fuji exclaimed when he saw the knock out girl.

Poor Ryoma was whimpering, her eyes were in swirl pool mode. She just survived out from a trip in hell, but barely kept her live at state. After that the boys caught her out of school, she was thrown in the hands of an army of beauticians. They had her have a whole make-over from head to toe. First, they massaged her (Ryoma: "You mean they groped me everywhere!"), then smoothed her body (Ryoma: "You mean torturing my muscles with that weird machine!"), massaged her again with many skin care lotions (Ryoma: "You mean bathing me weird smelly stuff!"). Followed next they made up her hair (Ryoma: "You mean they 'messed up' instead of 'made up' my hair with their scissors!"), make-up her (Ryoma: "You mean practicing their unskillful drawing skill on my face!") before dressing her and putting jewelry to her (Ryoma: "Surely you want to mean wrapping me up as a gift package with decorations and ready me to be send away!") before finishing with high heel shoes (Ryoma: "You mean those things meant to remind me how short I am, that's right?"). And that was how Ryoma found herself with smooth skin, toe nails and hand nails done, dressed in a light yellow and golden dress to match with her eyes, golden tone make-up and hair done into silky and slightly curled locks at the end, yellow diamond jewelry, her ears and her wrist and with white high heels. She was, in Fuji's eyes,

_'Beautiful…'_

But still, Ryoma was out of herself, still (highly) traumatized by the beautician (army) girls. Looking at her (knock out), Yuuta asked Ootori.

"Did you have to go so far as to kidnap her just to have her dress up?" Yuuta asked.

"It was you who said that she would refuse if we simply brought her to a salon," Ootori, a.k.a ninja B-3, retorted.

Yuuta slapped his forehead.

_'I should have shut up!' _Yuuta thought.

But the Dressing-up-the-failure-of-a-girl-named-Echizen-Ryoma-into-a-real-girl mission was a success.

"And how come you are still alive, very healthy and unarmed?" Yagyuu asked.

"This time, we were careful not to suffer from her wrath," Niou, a.k.a ninja B-2, proudly said, grinning.

"We didn't remove the rope ourselves. We only let her to the beauticians and left the job to them," Marui, a.k.a ninja B-1, explained. He turned to Atobe. "But those ladies are sure good! They managed to succeed doing their job even with her! Looking at them getting hold of Echizen, I thought they were trained in an army camp instead of a beautician training!"

"Of course that they perfectly did their job! The Atobe only have highly qualified staves everywhere! We carefully selected who we hire for everything! They all went through a sever training before working for us. They must deserve their salary!" Atobe retorted. He stopped momentary. "I selected our best beauticians, had them went through an army training camp before bringing them back here. Because it was Echizen whom we are dealing with, some desperate and drastic measures were needed to be done," Atobe finished.

"Aha!" Marui, Niou and Ootori triomphly exclaimed.

Yagyuu looked up on the ceiling.

_'Ryoga would want a picture of her like this,'_ his thought. He turned to Inui.

"Inui, send me a copy the pictures and the recorded video you took of Echizen today," Yagyuu said.

Inui raised an eyebrow, curious. Nonetheless, he agreed.

"Very well," Inui said. "You will have them tonight."

"Oi! Echizen! Wake up and give Fuji-senpai his birthday present!" Kirihara, a.k.a ninja A-2, said, shaking Ryoma on her shoulder.

"Ochibi-chan! Wake up!" Kikumaru, a.k.a ninja A-1, shook her shoulder too.

The poor girl squirmed. Taking it as a signal, Yukimura chuckled.

"Okay everybody, let's get out of here," Yukimura said, pushing Kirihara away from Ryoma.

"But…" Kirihara protested.

"No but!" Yukimura cut. "Now hurry and move!"

Kirihara grumbled, but obeyed nonetheless. Everyone moved out of the room, leaving Fuji and Ryoma alone.

* * *

Ryoma wasn't feeling well. She thought that a horde of elephant had ran over her. She didn't exactly knew what happen to her after that a net was thrown over her, but she was of one thing: once she would be recovered from her traumatise, it would be her who will throw those guys in the hand of the army torturers, and with an order to do make them thousand times more than what she had been through.

"Ryoma-chan…" a soft voice called her through the darkness.

Ryoma squirmed her eyes again.

"Ryoma-chan…" the voice said again, this time very near her.

Ryoma squirmed her eyes again before slowly opened them. She blinked a couple of time because of the light, then her vision slowly adjusted itself. Once it was clear, she was met with amazingly cerulean eyes. Fuji was bend over her, his face only a couple of inches from hers. She could practically felt the warmth irradiating from him on her skin. Ryoma felt a rush blood eruption up her face.

"Fu-Fuji-senpai…"

"Ryoma-chan, are you alright?" Fuji asked worryly.

"Somehow…" Ryoma responded. Fuji helped her sitting it with gentle gestures. "Arigatou, Fuji-senpai…"

Fuji didn't move from his kneeling position in front of her, making Ryoma feeling a little bit awkward. It wasn't everyday that she saw herself be taller than Fuji. But was disturbed her most - what disturbed her _heart_the most -, was his intense eyes glued to her. Blushing deeper, Ryoma tried to find anything which could make her felt less embarrassed. Searching everywhere in the room, her eyes fell on the gift box on the table next to her, which was meant to him. She hastily took it.

"Ha-Happy birthday, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma stuttered. "This is for you, from everyone."

Fuji ignored the gift, still not darting his eyes away from her.

"Ryoma-chan, tell me one thing," Fuji slowly trailed, "do you… dislike me?"

Ryoma blinked.

_'What a weird question.'_

"Err… No, I don't dislike you," Ryoma answered.

Fuji smiled.

"Then… do you like me?"

_'Another weird question.'_

"I just said that I don't dislike you," she retorted.

Fuji smiled again, his eyes becoming gentle.

"That's enought for me…" Fuji muttered. Ryoma frowned, confused.

"Fu-Fuji…-senpai…?" Ryoma, wondering what was happening to him, looked in his eyes. It was a mistake. Fuji suddenly grabbed her hand with his right and pulled her him.

"Ah!"

He close his left arm around her waist and his lips captured hers in a deep, longing and overwhelming kiss.

* * *

After a long time, Fuji and Ryoma reappeared again in the big room where everyone were gathered. Fuji was genuinely happy while Ryoma was red. But what hit the most the regulars was how gentle Fuji's eye expression was. It was the first time that they saw Fuji like that. And the most surprising, Ryoma was acting…_** SHY**_!!!! That never happened before. They had always believed that Ryoma wasn't the kind of girl who knew how to by _**shy**_ by anything.

_'What happened between them?'_ they wondered, very confused.

Only Yukimura was smiling contently.

"Ryoma, are you alright? You don't look like you usual self. You're all red," Yuuta told her.

Ryoma blushed deeper.

"I'm… I'm…" Ryoma was unable to give him a proper answer.

Yuuta raised an eyebrow, turning to Fuji.

"Aniki, what have you done to her?" he demanded.

Fuji's smile only grew bigger, but he didn't respond back. Yukimura chuckled behind his hand.

"Nee-chan pretty!" Touga and Sora saved Ryoma from her embarassement. The two kids came running to her and each of them clinging to each of her arm.

"Touga, Sora," Ryoma said.

The kids' squealing also attracted the other people's attention, including an old woman, who walked calmly walked to them.

"Syuusuke, I was searching for you," an old woman said.

Fuji reverted to his usual self when he heard the old woman's voice and turned his attention to her.

"Obaa-sama, how may I help you?" Fuji asked.

"I want you to meet someone," the old woman said. She turned over to the girl who was standing next to her.

The girl raised her eyes up to meet Fuji's, and by the same time, she saw Ryoma.

_'Ryoma-chan?'_ she thought.

_'Miyabi-san!'_ Ryoma thought.

"Syuusuke," the old woman cut in again, "meet countess Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle."

"Countess de Lavoiselle, it is a pleasure to meet you," Fuji politely greeted, bowing to her.

"As well as myself, Fuji-san. Please, call me Lavinia," Lavinia politely answered back, returning his bow.

When the introduction was over, Fuji's grandmother walked again.

"Syuusuke, from now on, you will take care of her. She is your fiancée."

_Crash!_

Fuji snapped his eyes opened. He felt as his dream and universe just crumbled under his feet. And Ryoma, she felt her heart shattered into thousand of shards.

* * *

1) tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu: happy birthday;

2) chichi, haha: father, mother.

A/N: I feel like my inspiration had go down many notches. *deep sigh*


	61. Tension in the tennis club

From last time…

"Syuusuke, I was searching for you," an old woman said.

"Obaa-sama, how may I help you?" Fuji asked.

"I want you to meet someone," the old woman said. She turned over to the girl who was standing next to girl raised her eyes up to meet Fuji's, and by the same time, she saw Ryoma.

_'Ryoma-chan?'_ she thought.

_'Miyabi-san!'_ Ryoma thought.

"Syuusuke," the old woman cut in again, "meet countess Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle. Syuusuke, from now on, you will take care of her. She is your fiancée."

_Crash!_

Fuji snapped his eyes opened. He felt as his dream and universe just crumbled under his feet. And Ryoma, she felt her heart shattered into thousand of shards.

* * *

Class 3-A. Japanese classical studies class.

"Everyone, please take your seat," the teacher said in front of the class. "Today, we are receiving a new student. Please, come in."

The door slide and a girl about everybody age stepped in the class. She walked like a swan dancing on a lake, her long, shiny autumnal color hair gracefully swinging on her back. Once in front of everyone, she slowly turned to face everybody like a ballerina, revealing a small pretty peach complexion face adorned with huge deep blue eyes.

"This is Countess Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle. She just transferred from France," the teacher introduced, then turned to the girl. "Lavoiselle-san, say something to everyone."

"Konnichiwa. My name is Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle. It is a great pleasure for me to meet you," Lavinia said and slightly bowed her head.

Many students were mesmerized by the girl in front of them. Of course, her unusual hair color alone was enough to catch attention, but it was mostly the way she talked and the way she hold herself which impressed them the most.

_'So this is how a real French noble lady looks like,'_ many people thought.

"She is Fuji Syuusuke's fiancée and she will be studying with us from now on," the teacher continued, "Everyone, be nice to her."

* * *

Immediately at lunch time, a group of girls from various classes gathered themselves and formed a court around Lavinia. Soon, Lavinia was raised as Seiyou Academy Queen. She had all the criteria to be a queen: she came from an old French noble family from her father side and also from the old Hongou-ken of Japan from her mother side, she was a perfect lady in every part through her being and her appearance, and, most of all, she was Seiyou Academy tensai Fuji Syuusuke's fiancée.

"Hakushaku-sama (1)," a senior girl named Erika said while giving her cup of tea to Lavinia, "please, enjoy this cup tea. It's a new kind of rose tea brood in India from one of our family tea plantation."

Lavinia nodded and delicately took the cup. She closed her eyes, inhaled the smell, then took a sip. After having thoroughly taste the warm liquid, she opened her eyes again and looked to the girl who gave her the tea, smiling.

"The fragrance of this Rosa Bracteatae is very delicate, even crossed-breed with another kind of rose. Tell me if I am wrong, but could it be the Tea Hybrid 'Souvenir du Dr Jamain' (2)?" Lavinia asked.

Erika opened wide her eyes, dumbstruck.

"That's exact," Erika said. "It was cross-breed with a Dr Jamain. It was my father who did it. How did you know which rose species were cross-breed together?" Erika said, totally agape.

Lavinia only smiled, but didn't answer the question.

"You're father is very talented for succeeding such an accomplishment. He could be François Lacharme's (2) successor. Rosa 'Dr Jamain' tend to be very capricious when forced into cross-breeding because itself is the result from a cross-breed. Your father must possess a gift."

Hearing her father being so sincerely praised, Erika felt an immense joy and her eyes shined of pride.

"He is!" Erika exclaimed. "And I want to be a great rose grower like him."

Lavinia smiled again.

"With him as your teacher, I have no doubt that you will become a wonderful rose grower," Lavinia said.

Erika beamed again at the compliment.

"Thank you very much, hakushaku-sama!"

"Please, there is no need to be so formal with me. Call me Lavinia," Lavinia gracefully said.

"Hai, Lavinia-sama!"

And that was how Lavinia won the school heart.

* * *

For the next two weeks, it was 'Lavinia-sama', 'Lavinia-sama' and 'Lavinia-sama' every time and everywhere. And with 'Lavinia-sama', 'Fuji-sama' was never put aside, especially 'Fuji-sama's fiancée'. For two weeks, it seemed like the whole world resolved solely around 'Lavinia-sama' and 'Fuji-sama's countess fiancée' at school.

In the tennis club, only the regulars weren't incensing 'Lavinia-sama' and kept their head cool. The regulars didn't worship Lavinia, byt they still acted polite in front of her like perfect gentlemen. Even Momoshiro managed to be like a fine gentleman when he met Lavinia, something that everybody thought it was an impossible thing to do for Momoshiro. However, it was like there was an invisible wall between the regulars and Lavinia. The boys didn't understand why, but they had difficulty to admit Lavinia in their circle. Some regulars were also quite cold toward Lavinia, especially Kikumaru and Kirihara.

Kikumaru was usually friendly to everyone with no exception. However, he couldn't bring himself to open his arms to Lavinia like he did to everyone. Kikumaru couldn't ignore the fact the Lavinia was the main cause of his best friend's change of mood. From the moment Lavinia was introduced to Fuji at his birthday party, Fuji was no longer the same person. Fuji wasn't a person who talk a lot, but from the arrival of Lavinia, he drastically changed, and not in the best way. Kikumaru knew Fuji from their childhood. When Fuji was being not well or sad at something, he always concealed his emotion inside him. Only Kikumaru could read him. However, from the past two weeks, Fuji was no longer hiding anything of his true emotions. Kikumaru was worried that his best friend was disturbed to the point he couldn't control himself. And Kikumaru he put all the blame on Lavinia. But still, the cat-boy also knew Lavinia wasn't a bad person. After all, she too was forced in her engagement with Fuji, which why Kikumaru couldn't blame her either. This situation was so complicated that it frustrated Kikumaru. And well, since he needed to vent his frustration somewhere, he choose to vent it on Lavinia and acted cold toward her. Ooishi wasn't happy that Kikumaru behaved like that toward Lavinia, but the Seigaku fukubuchou also knew that Kikumaru will eventually forget everything and be back to his old self again. It would just take him a certain amount of time.

As for Kirihara, he wasn't like Kikumaru. Sanada knew Kirihara wouldn't be able to forgive Lavinia for disturbing their peaceful life of before her arrival. Sanada had a harder time to calm down Kirihara than Ooishi with Kikumaru. Being a year younger than Kikumaru, Kirihara was less mature than the cat-boy. Kirihara didn't see Fuji like a friend, but like a model he deeply worshiped. Seing the person he respected so much getting caught in a situation he had no way to get out, Kirihara was even more frustrated - mad - for Fuji than Kikumaru was. Unlike his cat-senpai, Kirihara put all the blame on Lavinia and he made no effort to hide that he greatly disliked her.

Kirihara wasn't bullying nor say anything that could be hurtful to Lavinia, but his silence coldness spoke enough out what he truly thought about her. Being Fuji's fiancée, Lavinia often appeared on in the tennis court. Each time Kirihara saw her coming, he would immediately walked somewhere far away. Or when he couldn't go anywhere, he hide behind someone so Lavinia wasn't in his sight. Most of the time, it was behind Sanada or Ryoma that he hide.

But Kirihara blaming Lavinia had another reason behind. It was because of her that Ryoma also changed. From the day of Fuji's birthday party, Ryoma was no longer like herself. Even if she still acted like she always did, Kirihara felt like she was only a moving corpse with no real live spirit. And she always looked hurt, like something was broken inside her. This time, it was worse than the time Ryoga was hospitalized. It killed Kirihara to see her like that and he hated it. Yanagi, Yagyuu and Inui were astonished that Kirihara saw through Ryoma's true feeling. Usually, Kirihara was the most oblivious to everything and the last to saw anything ( and sometime, he would never see anything!), yet this time, he was among the very few number of people who noticed something. To Yanagi, Yagyuu and Inui, it seemed that Kirihara had mature a lot, and it was all thanks to Ryoma. Maybe it was for that reason that Kirihara cared so much for Ryoma and could see even through her mask. When he needed help, she was there for him. But now that she needed help, he couldn't do anything for her. And that greatly frustrated Kirihara.

Kirihara looked at Ryoma, who was standing alone in the corner of the court. Thinking no one was watching her, Ryoma let her mask down. Her eyes were blurry, her smile dead and her shoulders… bend like those of an old woman of over eighty. Kirihara clenched his fists.

_'Everything is all of that French girl's fault!'_ Kirihara roared in his mind.

Yagyuu looked at Kirihara, then switched his eyes to Ryoma.

_'It's too late now to change her heart… Ryoga, I warned you about Fuji and her… Why didn't you stop her when you could_…?_' _Yagyuu wondered.

* * *

Lavinia wasn't blind at Kirihara's dislike toward her, but she didn't do anything about it nor she mind him too much. Lavinia was an intelligent girl. She knew very well about Kirihara's admiration for his tensai senpai. It was so obvious to everyone. But because she was Fuji's fiancée, Kirihara must be feeling like she was stealing Fuji from him. And somehow, it was true that she was stealing Fuji from everyone. Lavinia also thought that everyone's forced politeness toward her could also be explained with that same reason. And Fuji himself wasn't doing anything to change everyone's bad perception of her in the tennis club. Though it hurt her that Fuji was so cold toward her, Lavinia understood him. Normally, Fuji would immediately correct these kinds of misunderstanding because his kind and gentle nature would command him to do it. But this time, it was different. Fuji was still too shock by the new turn of event to see the consequence of his actions in at school and in the tennis club. Lavinia just met Fuji once, but she knew what kind of personality Fuji possessed. Just the first glance at him at his birthday party was enough for Lavinia. She was, after all, talented with a gift to judge people. Despite his soft appearance, Fuji Syuusuke was a proud young man, very proud and independent, who hated being forced to do anything against his will. And he was handcuffed in this arrange marriage with her by his own grandmother. She too was a very pride young woman like Fuji, but she knew how to turn bad situations in her advantage when she wanted to.

Usually, when Lavinia must confronted with people who dislike her, just like the tennis regulars right now, she would not come to near them too often and for a certain length of time. She knew she should just come to the tennis club only one or two time a week, until they were used to her. Then, she could consider coming more often. That would be a wiser way to do, but Lavinia needed to continue to act the way she was acting up to now. She needed the tennis club, she needed to see it as much as she could. More precisely, she needed to see _someone_ in the tennis as much as it was possible for her. And that person wasn't her fiancé.

Lavinia looked around the tennis court, searching for the person she wanted to see. Then, Lavinia saw the person she was searching for coming out from the corner of the changing room. Lavinia grew a bright smile.

"Ryoma-chan!" Lavinia happily called.

Ryoma stopped and rose her head to see Lavinia in front of her.

"Miyabi-… senpai…" Ryoma said, tilting her head.

Hearing Ryoma calling her back, Lavinia's mood brightened and she felt happier than she was before seeing Ryoma.

* * *

1) hakushaku: earl, count.

2) François Lacharme (1817-1887): a very renowned French rose grower of the 19th century of Lyon. The rose named 'Souvenir du Dr Jamain' (Dr Jamain's rememberance) was one of his creation. It's a deep purple-red color rose with the petal like velvet. Actually, I don't know how its smell nor I don't know if you can brew tea with that rose. 19th century Britain loved him for his Noisettes, another kind of cross-breed roses. Lacharme's Noisettes roses are often near pink or white color.

By the way, I know absolutely nothing about rose horticulture. I'm just picking names for the use. Please forgive me if what I wrote about rose cross-breed is completely insane.


	62. Two minds

From last time…

Lavinia looked around the tennis court, searching for the person she wanted to see. Then, Lavinia saw the person she was searching for coming out from the corner of the changing room. Lavinia grew a bright smile.

"Ryoma-chan!" Lavinia happily called.

Ryoma stopped and rose her head to see Lavinia in front of her.

"Miyabi-…senpai…" Ryoma said, tilting her head.

Hearing Ryoma calling her back, Lavinia's mood brightened and she felt happier than she was before seeing Ryoma.

* * *

"Miyabi-senpai…" Ryoma said.

Before Lavinia could talk, someone interrupted them.

"Ochibi-chan, are you coming now? We are leaving," Kikumaru shouted, waving at her from the school gate.

"Ha-…" Ryoma stopped at Lavinia's sad expression. Letting Kikumaru waiting for moment, Ryoma asked. "Miyabi-senpai, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Ryoma-chan, can… can I talk with you a moment please?" Lavinia hesitated.

"Err…"

"Oi! Ochibi! Hayaku!!!" Kikumaru interrupted them again. Lavinia looked at Ryoma with pleading eyes. "Ochibiiii!" Kikumaru insisted.

"Ryoma-chan…" Lavinia insisted too.

"Ochi_biiiiiiiiiiiiii_! Hurry now!"

Ryoma was torn. Kikumaru's and Lavinia's insistence were making her feeling uneasy. Inside, Ryoma was more tempted to go with Kikumaru and the others. She didn't really want to be with Fuji's fiancée - her heart ached each time she saw Lavinia, hurting her deeply -, but Lavinia's sad eyes made her hesitated.

"Ryoma-chan, please…" Lavinia pleaded again, looking straight at Ryoma.

". . ." Ryoma didn't answer.

"Ochibi! Hayaku!"

Ryoma took a deep breath to clear her mind, then expired. She tried to listen to her inner mind.

_'Of course you don't want to go with her because she is now Fuji-senpai's fiancée. Of course your heart ached each time you see her. And of course it hurts you. But you also know that if you leave her like this, she will be hurt too. You can see that she needs you now, for whatever reason she has. Can you bear the thinking that you'll hurt her when she didn't do anything wrong to you? Can you accept it without feeling guilty?' _her conscience spoke.

_'… No…' _Ryoma self-answered.

_'Then you know what you should do,'_ her inner mind said.

_'…Yeah…'_

_"Ochibiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" _Kikumaru was being more insistent.

Ryoma expired again, then turned to Kikumaru.

"Go before me! I'll see you later!" Ryoma shouted back.

Kikumaru pouted, not happy.

"That girl I so hate her! Not only she's stealing Fuji, but Ochibi too!" Kikumaru groaned.

"Eiji, let them be," Ooishi half-heartily scowled him. "We should go now."

"Hai…" Kikumaru answered and followed Ooishi out of the gate.

* * *

The two girls were sat by the fountain in the middle of a park. No one was talking, merely listening to the water dancing. Lavinia was lost in her mind and Ryoma wasn't the kind of girl to start a conversation. Ryoma merely waited for her to start, looking at the trees in front of her. After all, Lavinia was the one who wanted to talk to her. They staid in silence like that for a long moment. Finally, Lavinia broke the silence.

"Ryoma-chan…"

Ryoma turned her attention to Lavinia.

"Huh? What is it, Miyabi-senpai?"

Hearing her name said by Ryoma, Lavinia smiled. Ryoma still called her by that name, even after that happen the other day.

* * *

Flashback

"Ryoma-chan, wait!" Lavinia called when she saw Ryoma stepping out of her classroom.

"Miyabi-… san…" Ryoma said.

"Hey you! Don't be impolite! Call her 'Lavinia-sama'!" a 3th year girl snapped at her.

Ryoma inertly scowled. It was the same girl you snapped at her when she first bumped into Fuji on her first day at school. And she also happened to be one of the 'first lady' of Lavinia's court, or whatever title she attributed herself. She was with the same two girls who always followed her everywhere behind her. The girl on her left snapped at Ryoma too.

"You are a first year right? How can you be so impolite to a 3th year?" she said.

"Honestly, the juniors of this year are horribly awful," the girl on the right side added.

_'That's right! They don't know that I'm a girl, so they didn't make the connexion between the boy who bumped into Fuji-senpai and me,' _Ryoma thought. 'They are still annoying even now!'

"Stop it!" Lavinia said, starting the three girls.

"Lavinia-sama…" the three girls whimpered, scared by Lavinia's angry face. It was the first time that they saw the sweet and elegant lady being angry.

"It was me who told her to call me by this name!" Lavinia said.

"Lavinia-sama, you… did…" the first girl stuttered.

"Yes! And she is the only one who is allowed to call me like this!" Lavinia added. "You don't have the right to say anything against her!"

"H-hai…" the three girls muttered, lowing their head, ashamed.

"Now leave!" Lavinia ordered.

"Hai… Lavinia-sama…" The three girls bowed to Lavinia and left.

Many minutes passed before Lavinia spoke again.

"Ryoma-chan," Lavinia said. Ryoma turned her head to Lavinia. "Please, keep calling me Miyabi."

Ryoma cocked her eyebrow, but agreed nonetheless.

"Er, hai, Miyabi-sa…!" Ryoma stopped. "Miyabi-senpai," she corrected.

Lavinia blinked.

"Why don't you call me '-san' like before?" Lavinia asked.

"Because before, I didn't know that you were going to transfer here. Now, you are my senpai, so I must call you 'senpai'," Ryoma explained, deadpanned.

Lavinia smiled.

"Very well. I understand."

End flashback

* * *

Lavinia smiled at the souvenir. A little bit more, Ryoma would probably stopped calling her 'Miyabi'. Her Japanese name was her pet name. Only few people dear to her called her like that, like her parents. For the rest of the world, she was Lavinia, but mostly 'Countess Lavinia' or 'Countess de Lavoiselle'. Here in Japan, it was 'Lavini-sama'. However, the first time introducing herself to Ryoma and Ryoga, Lavinia didn't know why she instinctively told them to call her by her pet name 'Miyabi', but she was happy she did it. There was something special about the two brother and sister that made her liking them. One would think maybe it was from her gratitude toward them for helping her, but Lavinia knew it was more than gratitude. Lavinia smiled as she looked at Ryoma. The short black-green hair girl was probably the only person in the school who saw her as a person and not as a countess. Ryoma was the only who could make her felt like a human being again, which was why Lavinia liked Ryoma very much. In any case, she couldn't picture hearing Ryoma and Ryoga calling her 'Lavinia'.

_'Lavinia-sama.'  
_

Thinking about the way people called her, Lavinia lost her smile. Each time she heard that naming, it painfully remained her how she felt lonely her in Japan. She was alone by herself. Her parents couldn't came with her and staid in France. Her nanny was sick so the old woman couldn't came too. She was brought here to be the fiancée of a stranger by a cold woman. Lavinia couldn't refuse the arranged marriage because it was contracted between her father and Fuji-dono. Fuji-dono saved her father from bankruptcy. In exchange, Fuji-dono asked Lavinia to become her grandson's wife. Lavinia's father couldn't say no nor Lavinia herself couldn't say anything against him. And that was how she ended up in Japan.

* * *

While Lavinia was lost in her thinking, Ryoma's mind too wasn't at peace. During these two weeks, she barely saw Fuji. For some unknown reason, Fuji didn't come to school. He only made an appearance for some hours then left. Ryoma only had a few glimpse of him, and it was when he crossed the school gate where his personal driver was waiting for him. From what Kikumaru told her, Ryoma knew that Fuji had search for her because he wanted to see her. However, Ryoma wasn't ready to see him after what happen between them at his birthday party.

It had only been a few month when Ryoma started to notice something different about herself. More specifically, it was after the training camp that she noticed something different about herself. She, who never paid attention to anyone (at least she knew it!), had start to look at her tensai senpai. And very frequently! During practice, if she wasn't playing, her eyes were constantly on Fuji.

_'Even when he's not playing tennis,' _her inner mind added.

That fact alone was enough to put Ryoma upside down. Before the training camp, when Fuji played, she would watched him. Fuji wasn't playing, her eyes would search for another person who was playing. After the training camp, Ryoma it seemed to her that Fuji was always in her sight (nothing to do with _her_ eyes following him).

_'Something must have happened during the training camp that I don't know,' _Ryoma often told herself.

The problem was she didn't where to search to find out about that 'something'. But there was still one thing that she knew: she had a weird dream. When she was sick, she dreamed that someone kissed her.

_'And the worst of it, I was _imagining_ that it was Fuji-senpai who kissed me.'_

Once again, Ryoma was amazed at how her imagination was vivid and strong: she could still remember the softness and the warm of Fuji's lips on hers in that illusional kiss.

_'That's right! It was an illusion,' _her logical mind stated.

But illusion or not, that _dream_ disturbed Ryoma from that day. Because the dream permanently stuck itself in her head - she didn't what to do to remove it out -, Ryoma could no longer see Fuji as the usual tensai Fuji Syuusuke. Not only that, but her imagination was getting a havoc too. She often had the _illusion_ (again!) that Fuji watched her many times. And she also had the _illusion_ that his eyes were very soft each time he watched her.

That was something that she was scared about.

* * *

Questions:

1) Why do you think Ryoma is so scared that Fuji often looked at her?

2) Now what you know a little bit more about Lavinia, what do you think about her?


	63. Introspection and tears

_**IMPORTANT NOTE**_: I don't know what took me, but I had decided to start a new fanfic, a Harry Potter this time. But I'm still continuing this one. So, you will certainly see my updating rate for this story even slower than before. And I also have school, that's it. So, now you know the reason of my soon-to-be-slower updating rate.

Now, please enjoy chapter 63!

* * *

Last time…

When she was sick, she dreamt that someone had kissed her.

_'And the worst of it, I was _imagining_that it was Fuji-senpai who kissed me.'_

She could still remember the softness and the warm of Fuji's lips on hers in that illusion kiss.

But illusion or not, that _dream_disturbed Ryoma from that day. Because the dream permanently stuck itself in her head - she didn't know what to do to remove it -, Ryoma could no longer see Fuji as the usual tensai Fuji Syuusuke. Not only that, but her imagination was getting a havoc too. She often had the _illusion_ (again!) that Fuji watched her many times. And she also had the _illusion_ that his eyes were very soft each time he watched her.

That was something that she was scared about.

* * *

Flashback

During a qualified ranking tournament, Ryoma watched a match between Fuji and Yukimura. As Fuji and Yukimura exchanged ball, Ryoma noticed something unusual.

"Kikumaru-senpai, it's strange," Ryoma said. "Fuji-senpai's eyes are opened."

"What! Fuji's eyes are open!!!!" Kikumaru screeched. He clutched his face, which was white, between his hands and started running in circle and screaming at the same time. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! I must find a place to hide! I must find a place to hide!"

"Kikumaru-senpai, why are you running around?" Kirihara, who came, asked.

"Fuji's eyes are open!!!!!" Kikumaru yelped.

"WHAT!?!" Kirihara screeched too. "Aaaaaaaah! No no no! Aaaaaaaaaah! Where!? Where can I hide?!? Where?! Aaaaaaaaaah!" he yelled and started running in circle like Kikumaru did before him. He and Kikumaru crouched themselves in a bush, their hands covering their head.

"What's wrong with them?" Niou asked as he came to with Marui and Ootori. "Why are they hiding?"

"I don't know," Ryoma said, dumbfounded. "I only said that Fuji-senpai's eyes were open."

"_WHAT?!_" Niou, Marui and Ootori panicked.

"Ah no! Not you too!" Ryoma said. "There, look!" She pointed to where Fuji and Yukimura were. Fuji was replying to his opponent with a Kirin Otoshi. And he was ecstatic. Niou, Marui and Ootori realized that Fuji was playing against Yukimura.

"_Piouf!_" Niou, Marui and Ootori sighed of relieve, their hand on their chest to calm down their frantic heartbeat.

"Kikumaru, Kirihara, Fuji _is playing _against Yukimura," Ootori said.

"What? For real!" Kikumaru said, removing his hands from his eyes. Kirihara did the same. They looked at where Ootori was pointing.

"If Fuji-senpai is playing against buchou, then it's safe," Kirihara said, tapping his heart too to calm it down.

"Ochibi, that was scary!" Kikumaru scowled Ryoma. "Don't ever say that Fuji's eyes are open ever again!!!"

"Hah?!?" Interrogation marks popped around Ryoma'shead. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

The five boys sighed. Ootori put his right arm on her shoulder.

"Echizen, listen to me," Ootori said in a serious mode, his finger up. "When Fuji's eyes are open and he is NOT playing, that usually means bad luck."

"Bad luck?" Ryoma repeated, not sure that she heard the right thing.

"Yes!_ Bad luck_!" Marui, Kikumaru and Kirihara confirmed.

"For example, when Momoshiro saw Fuji's eyes open last month, he got hit by a car on his way home," Kikumaru said.

"When Gakuto saw Fuji's eyes open, he made a bad jump, broke a leg and had to carry a cast for a month," Ootori said.

"Sanada had been absent from school for a week because of a food poisoning" Kirihara said. "Someone tripped and knocked Inui-senpai's juice in his soup. It was also bad luck because Kawamura-senpai had dropped wasabi in Inui-senpai's juice that day."

"The guy who knocked Inui's juice was Kaido, who walked on a ball because he saw Fuji's eyes too," Kikumaru said, sighing.

"That bad…" Ryoma said.

"Yes," the boys chorused, sighing heavily.

"So you _NEVER_want to see Fuji's eyes open! Understand?" Niou finished.

"Er, hai…" Ryoma answered.

End flashback

* * *

But the weeks following the training camp, Ryoma _very_ frequently _MET_ with Fuji's eyes open, very _freaking_often! And the worst, Ryoma discovered that she was becoming masochist!

_'Yihaaaaaaaaa!' _Ryoma's screamed in her head.

Even though she knew that Fuji's eyes open meant bad luck, she couldn't help herself but being completely mesmerized when he looked at her. That fact alone was enough to scare her. Each time she met his eyes, she felt herself being drawn to him, even against her will. There was just something about the way he looked at her that froze her logical mind, keeping her from thinking clearly. Instead of screaming and running around in circle to find a place to hide like Kikumaru and Kirihara did, her legs wanted to carry her closer to him because her head could no longer command them. It was like her legs had a will of their own, refusing to listen to her head. But whether she wanted it or not, Fuji's eyes were like a magnet calling her. And it was because her head wasn't working normally, she also saw illusions again, illusion that Fuji looked at her with softness and gentleness in his eyes. Not only that, but she also experimented new feelings she never had before. Those overwhelming feelings were strange and they are frightening because she had the impression that she lost control of herself. Fuji's eyes scared Ryoma because she lost control of herself, mind and body included.

Ryoma had to come to a conclusion. She wanted to admit it or not, she had changed because of the way Fuji looked at her. But gradually, as his softness succeeds to find its way to settle itself in her heart, Ryoma started to understand that change wasn't as frightening as she thought. She even had the impression that she was cherished and it was a wonderful feeling. Slowly by slowly, she learn to accept the strange feelings Fuji's eyes raised in her and, before she knew how everything started, she realized that she thought more and more often about him.

That night when Fuji kissed her, he scared her. She was scared because she wasn't prepared to face something like a kiss from a boy. But she was also scared for another reason. She understood the reason why she thought of him so often. She realized that she has feelings for him. She realized that… she loved him. When did it start and how, she didn't know. But she knew she felt like her soul was bonded to him. But when she learned of his engagement… Ryoma refused to recall how she felt broken back then.

Even knowing that Fuji searched for her, she ran away from him. She was scared to be hurt again like that night and didn't give him a chance to explain himself.

_'Fuji-senpai…'_

Ryoma grabbed her chest, feeling like something bite her heart, and lowered her eyes down.

* * *

"You know, Ryoma-chan," Lavinia spoke, bringing Ryoma out of her thoughts. "I know how the tennis regulars feel about me." Lavinia sheepishly smiled. "Even if they are very polite toward me, I know that they don't like me very much…"

"Miyabi-senpai…"

"I don't blame them though. I'm not blind. I understand very well why they don't like me." Lavinia stopped talking a moment. "Their friend was forced into an arranged marriage he didn't ask for and in which he doesn't even have to right and the freedom to say what he sincerely think about it. Right now, their friend is suffering alone and it frustrates them to see him like that."

Ryoma looked down to her feet. She didn't know what to say.

"It might be surprising, but I like them," Lavinia continued. "I like how they are loyal to their friend." Lavinia laced her hands together. "I knew by coming to Japan, I have to start a new life with a stranger. I was prepared to face every difficulty and hardship I might encounter on my way. I was prepared to make new acquaintances and new friends… but I didn't expect it to be so hard…" Lavinia tightened her fingers. "I wish they would consider me as a friend…" she muttered the last part.

_'She looks so lonely…' _Ryoma thought.

Lavinia turned to Ryoma, smiling a poor smile. Ryoma saw some tears in her eyes.

"I will tell you something, Ryoma-chan, up to now, only you and your brother are people I can consider to be my friends," Lavinia said. "All the others, they only see me as Countess Lavinia, not as a person…"

A tear rolled down Lavinia's cheek and she tightened her fists. Her body trembled and she gave up all resistance. She cried.

"Senpai…" Ryoma muttered, shocked.

She didn't expect this to happen. And she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Every time at school when she saw Miyabi, she is to be a calm person who was always in control of her emotions. But she didn't know that it was so difficult for her. Ryoma felt ashamed of herself. Lavinia was separated from her family in France. She was brought to Japan and was expected to marry a stranger and lived all her life with him. She had no one to comfort or to advise her. However, despite how much she was frightened, she didn't protest and courageously crossed half of the earth and obeyed to everything it was expected from her. Yet she, Ryoma, she had her family and her friends around her, always caring and supporting her, she was scared of her own feelings and ran away from them.

_'I'm so shameful,' _Ryoma thought. She looked at Lavinia's crying face. _'It must be harder for her than for me…'_

Ryoma let Lavinia poured all her sadness out without interrupting her. Ryoma thought it was the best thing to do at the moment and Lavinia was grateful for her quiet presence. Suddenly, an idea came to Ryoma.

"Miyabi-senpai, are you free this afternoon?" Ryoma asked.

Surprised, Lavinia stopped crying and looked up at Ryoma.

"Yes…" Lavinia answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Then will you spend the rest of the day with me?"

"Heh…?"

"Come on! Let's go!" Ryoma stood up, grabbed Lavinia's hands and pulled her up.

"Ah! Wait, Ryoma-chan!"

"Miyabi-senpai, you are weird when you cry. I don't recognize you and I don't like it. I'm going to change it! So come with me, senpai!" Ryoma said with a smile and continued to pull Lavinia after her. Lavinia was dumbstruck by Ryoma's smile, but eventually, she returned it too. Ryoma's smile was contagious. She let Ryoma pulled her where the Ryoma wanted, just happy by Ryoma's reaction.

* * *

Ryoma called her brother and he came to fetch them. The two Echizens brought Lavinia downtown again. They resumed to Ryoma's favorite hobby after tennis: annoying her brother by making his wallet lose weight. Of course, Ryoga wasn't going to let his wallet getting emptier without saying his word, which always ended up in an argument between the two of them in the middle of the street. People passing kept watching them, but that didn't stop them. Lavinia was highly amused. Ryoga and Ryoma were so funny for making a big scene over two ice creams in front of everyone without feeling embarrassed.

After, it was Ryoga's turn to take revenge. When Ryoma wasn't around, he suggested to Lavinia to go to some dress stores, saying that Japanese fashion was quite original and interesting to discover. Amused and curious to know why a guy actually _proposed _to a girl to go in dress shop, Lavinia agreed. When Ryoma returned back and Lavinia told her where they were going next, Ryoma couldn't run away. Then, the three of them (actually two willingly and one dragging in by the neck of her shirt by her brother) headed to a dress store of _Ryoga's _choice. Soon, Lavinia discovered why Ryoga wanted to go in a dress shop. Ryoga had trapped Ryoma in a corner of the store. He was grinning evilly down at his little sister, a red strapless dress in his hand - the smallest he found in the store. Ryoma, who was sweating cold the sweat, did everything she could to avoid being touched by the red horror in Ryoga's hands. In a desperate attempt to run away, Ryoma dodged under Ryoga's legs and to climb on the top of a mannequin. But that didn't stop Ryoga. He gathered all the dresses he found and put them at the feet of the mannequin. When he finished, he looked up at his hissing scary cat sister, laughing. Ryoma was trapped on the top on the mannequin. She couldn't escape away with the dresses blocking her. The manager of the store soon came and he scowled Ryoga while the clerks tried to convince Ryoma to get down from the mannequin. As Lavinia watched the whole thing, she couldn't help but laugh.

_'Hahahaha! I never saw something so funny in my life. Hahahaha!'_ Lavinia thought as she swept the tear from the corner of her eye. _'It's been so long since I…' _She stopped. _'It's been so long since I laughed like this…' _Lavinia realized. She brought her eyes back to Ryoma._ 'And it's all thanks to her…'_

Ryoma was still perched on the top of the mannequin. Her eyes were getting wet and she started to cry. Seeing this, Ryoga immediately stopped the teasing. He didn't realize that his joke went so far. He apologized to her, saying that he won't do it again and told her to get down from the mannequin. But Ryoma refused to move. She stubbornly tightened her arms around the mannequin head, her face red. Lavinia decided to make her move. She went to Ryoma and stopped in front of the mannequin. She spoke to Ryoma with a sweet voice with a lot of calming smiles. Eventually, Ryoma listened to her and stopped crying. When Lavinia saw that Ryoma had calm down, she told the clerks to remove away all the dresses at the mannequin feet, which they immediately did. Then, Lavinia held out her hands to Ryoma, telling her to climb down. Hesitantly, Ryoma gave Lavinia her hand and climbed down. Lavinia took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears in Ryoma's puffy eyes, telling her everything was over and that there was nothing else to be scared about anymore. To console the still distressed little girl, the manager of the store petted Ryoma's head and he gave her a lollipop (because of Ryoma's short height, he thought Ryoma was a school grader).

Ryoga guessed that Ryoma was still distressed because she was scared of her previous trip in a dress shop. Yagyuu told him about the make-over Ryoma had on the day of Fuji's birthday. He even supplied Ryoga some pictures. To apologize to her, Ryoga bought her a stuff toy, a plushy Himalayan cat like Karupin. When she saw the toy, Ryoma immediately stopped crying and smiled, eagerly taking the toy in her arms it. Ryoga petted her head as she hugged it in her arms. Lavinia smiled as she watched the two of them. Thanks to Ryoga and Ryoma, she felt much better.

_'Arigatou, Ryoma-chan…' _

* * *

A/N:Okay, I know I exaggerated with Ryoma trapped on the mannequin, but I cannot help it. I think it's cute that Ryoma can be a little girl sometime. She was far way too serious up to now. Sorry if it annoyed you, but I don't think that I will change it.


	64. Discovery

A/N: It's been a while. Sorry for the long waiting. I was very busy with school and work. But here is chapter 64 for you.

Enjoy!

* * *

Previously…

Just when Ryoma understood her feelings for Fuji and he declared his love for her, Lavinia De Lavoiselle appeared in the picture. She was Fuji's fiancée, chosen by Fuji's grandmother. What made it even more awkward was that Ryoma and Lavinia had become friends. Ryoma didn't tell Lavinia her feelings for Fuji, fearing that she would hurt the girl. On the other hand, Ryoma was suffering in silence. The same thing was happening to Fuji. He had told Ryoma about his feelings for her, but he cannot be with her because of his engagement.

* * *

On White Day, in order to reward Ryoma for her chocolate gift on Valentine's, Touga and Sora decided to bring her to an onsen (1) resort for a weekend. They put together their allowance to pay everything, insistent that their parents not help them which made their father very proud. Fuji, Atobe and Yuuta came too, mostly to keep an eye on the kids. The grandmother, deciding that the couple must spend more time together, had them to bring Lavinia along, much to the children's displeasure. Touga and Sora didn't hate Lavinia - she didn't do anything to be hated or disliked -, but they felt awkward around her. They had a hard time trying to visualize her as their future aunt. Touga and Sora weren't blind. They saw that their favorite uncle wasn't happy because of her. They had every right to hate her, but they also knew she wasn't a bad person which why they felt awkward around her. Nonetheless, because it was their great grandmother's order, Touga and Sora couldn't protested. They cheered themselves up by thinking they could spend more time with Ryoma.

The first time Fuji's grandmother saw Ryoma, she was shocked. She had always knew her great-grandchildren were calm, composed and hard to approach. However, it was the first time she had seen Touga and Sora smile all day long and talk nonstop with the young, green haired girl. And they didn't leave the girl's side for one second. They were always next to her, clinging to her.

_'What did that girl do to them?' _Fuji-dono wondered.

That Echizen-girl made her great-grandchildren change, but Touga and Sora weren't the only one who had changed around that plebeian girl. Yuuta and Syuusuke, too, were no longer the same people Fuji-dono used to know. Yuuta talked more with Syuusuke and Syuusuke, the grandson Fuji-dono was most proud of because of his similar sharp and cold mind, smiled more often when that Echizen-girl was around. And there were something different about his smile - something very unusual of Syuusuke.

_'He's changed,' _Fuji-dono thought as she observed the way Syuusuke looked at Ryoma.

Fuji-dono noticed that when Echizen Ryoma was somewhere nearby, the atmosphere changed. People talked more and laughed more. Even Lavinia wasn't being the composed French Countess Fuji-dono knew. Lavinia smiled and laughed as well - too much for Fuji-dono's liking. And the most surprising - the most shocking - was that Echizen Ryoma girl called Lavinia as Miyabi. From what Fuji-dono understood, it was Lavinia herself who wanted Ryoma to call her 'Miyabi'. Fuji-dono knew only Lavinia's parents called Lavinia by her pet name. Outside of Lavinia's family circle, it was 'Countess Lavinia'. Then why was that Echizen Ryoma-girl granted such a privilege? It disturbed Fuji-dono and made her discontent. Her great-grandchildren, her grandchildren, and now Lavinia - everyone changed around that Echizen Ryoma girl. Fuji-dono disliked changed. She came to dislike Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the hot spring resort, Touga and Sora immediately dragged Ryoma away and showed her all their favorite places. The place belonged to the Atobe and they used to come here often, so they know every corner - from the smallest pebble to the biggest tree. Yuuta and Atobe went along them. Fuji was obliged to escort Lavinia and show her around because of his grandmother's demand as he preferred to stay at the resort to rest. Thus, the five teenagers and the two children hiked around the onsen. To Ryoma's surprise, it wasn't Atobe who exposed the greatness of an Atobe onsen resort, but it was Yuuta who acted as the guide. Ryoma guessed it was because of the toad perched on Sora's shoulder and which kept staring at Atobe. The little girl had found it on a rock and decided to carry it with her. The amphibian animal wouldn't stop staring blankly at Atobe from the moment Sora picked it up, bawling here and there. Atobe tried to ignore it, but his disgusted blue face showed that it was impossible for him.

As for Lavinia, it was the first time she had seen Touga and Sora smiling for so long even though she was around. Usually, when Lavinia came in a room where the children were, they immediately stopped talking and looked down at their feet. It was only when Lavinia walked away that Touga and Sora would make a sound or move freely. But today, Lavinia caught Sora staring at her one or twice, but the little girl immediately turned her head away and hid her face in Ryoma's arm. It appeared to Lavinia that the children accepted her more when Ryoma was with them. On the other hand, Lavinia often saw her fiancé look at Ryoma with a strange expression on his face. It seemed to her as though he were suffering inside.

When the sun set, they returned to the resort and took a bath in an outside hot spring. Touga and Sora went in the women's bath with Ryoma and Lavinia while Fuji, Atobe and Yuuta stayed in the men's bath. This time, Atobe let Touga and Sora made as much noise as they wanted. He didn't tell to them to be quiet like he usually did. He was just happy that he no longer had a disgusting brown amphibian staring holes into his head any longer. After they had finished their bath and eaten their dinner, the children wanted to hunt fireflies and, of course, they wanted Ryoma to go with them. Yuuta accompanied them in case Touga and Sora hurt themselves. Fuji had to keep Lavinia's company and Atobe stayed with him. Yuuta and Ryoma didn't return back until each children had a bag full of small, flying balls of light.

* * *

Night time.

Touga silently opened the door of the room and peaked outside. There was no one in the hallway. He turned to Sora who was behind him.

"Okay, we can go now," Touga whispered. Sora nodded. With a last glance to make sure the hallway was still empty, Touga and Sora scurried outside.

"Where is it?" Sora asked.

"I think it's over there," Touga pointed the left end of the hallway. The two kids tip-toed their way down the hall. "Hurry!" Touga hushed, taking his sister's hand and pulling her with him. They were going to turn left when someone called their names.

"Touga, Sora!" an authoritarian voice stopped them. Touga and Sora stiffened and turned around to see their great-grandmother.

"Hiobaa-sama… (2)" The children trailed off, nervously clenching their hands together.

"Shouldn't you two be sleeping by now? What are you doing outside of your room at this hour?" Fuji-dono asked severely. The children bite their lips, but didn't answered. "Well?" Fuji-dono insisted. "Answer me!"

"They wanted to show me the fireflies they caught, obaa-sama," someone behind Fuji-dono answered. Fuji-dono turned around to see Lavinia walking to them.

"Lavinia," Fuji-dono raised suspiciously an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hai, obaa-sama," Lavinia calmly said. "I hear them saying they caught many fireflies and I expressed to them my desire to see them. Fireflies are prettier when we watch them at night, so I asked them to show me their fireflies before they go to sleep."

Fuji-dono turned to Touga and Sora.

"Is that true?" Fuji-dono asked. Sora didn't answered and clenched brother's hand harder. Touga, braver, looked straight to Fuji-dono.

"Hai, hiobaa-sama," Touga said.

Fuji-dono looked at Lavinia again and then at the children once more. Touga and Sora were usually uneasy around Lavinia, but Fuji-dono thought this was a great opportunity. She believed the children had finally accepted Lavinia as their future aunt and that they wanted to make better acquaintances with her.

"Very well," Fuji-dono said. "But you will immediately go back to bed after. Do you understand me?"

"Hai, obaa-sama / hiobaa-sama," Lavinia, Touga and Sora answered respectively, bowing to Fuji-dono. Fuji-dono gave a stern nod and returned to her room. When the respectable lady had disappeared from their sight, a heavy silence took place between Lavinia and the children. Again, Touga and Sora felt awkward. The French lady saved them from the great grandmother, but they still didn't feel comfortable with her. They didn't know what to say to her. In the end, it was Lavinia who broke the silence.

"Follow me," Lavinia said. She turned on her heels and walked away. Touga and Sora hesitated. They didn't want to go with her because they didn't know what the French Countess would do to them, but the Countess had just helped them, so Touga judged that it was only fair to do as she told them. Touga gripped Sora's hand and the two children followed Lavinia.

* * *

After many minutes of silence, Lavinia finally stopped in front of a door. She waited for the children to arrive. When Touga and Sora stopped in front of her, she spoke again.

"It's here," Lavinia said. "Ryoma-chan's room is here." Touga and Sora looked up to her, surprised. They couldn't believe it. Not only had the French Countess saved them from being scowled at by their great grandmother, but she also guided them to Ryoma's room which had been the reason why they had tried to sneak out of their room. She was being very nice to them too. She wasn't mad or angry. "Good night, Touga-kun, Sora-chan," Lavinia said, walking away.

Touga and Sora watched her stride down the corridor when Sora suddenly left Touga's side. Lavinia abruptly stopped when she felt a tug on her night cloths. She turned around to see Sora looking up to her with her big and slightly shy eyes, the little girl's tiny hand clutching her yukata. Surprised, Lavinia crouched down in front of Sora.

"What is it?" Lavinia asked. Sora stepped closer and Lavinia felt the little girl's lips on her cheek. Lavinia widened her eyes, gasping, as Sora pulled back.

"Arigatou, onee-sama," Sora timidly whispered, showing Lavinia her soft smile.

Sora turned on her heels and ran to Touga before the two children disappeared into Ryoma's room. It was a long time before Lavinia got up from her crouch. She was still in shock. It had been the first time the little girl had come so close to her of her free will, and it had been the first time she had heard Sora talk to her without being forced. Lavinia was shock but she was happy too. She stood up, smiling, as she touched the cheek Sora had kissed. Lavinia could hear Ryoma's surprised exclamation and the children's happy squeal when they pounced on the young girl in her futon. Lavinia smiled once more as she watched Ryoma's bedroom door.

_'Good night Ryoma, Touga, Sora,' _Lavinia thought and left to her room.

* * *

The next day, Lavinia was particularly happy. Touga and Sora seemed much more accepting of her than they had before. Of course, they still clung to Ryoma, but now, they smiled and talked to her as well without feeling uneasy. Lavinia understood why they were so dear to Fuji. Touga and Sora were good and adorable children. They spent a very nice day together, visiting the small village down the hot spring resort. Fuji-dono didn't come with them, preferring to stay at the resort. Lavinia believed that it was one of the reason why everyone looked happier. She noticed that whenever Fuji-dono was around, the atmosphere was heavy. Now that Fuji-dono wasn't there, the atmosphere seemed light and Touga and Sora were like chirping birds. They even managed to make Fuji smiled with their good mood. At noon, they stopped at a small, terraced restaurant for lunch.

While waiting for their orders, Touga and Sora told Ryoma about their favorite foods at this little village. They were particularly found on a little familial ice cream store. Touga liked the red bean flavor ice cream while Sora preferred the green tea flavor. They told Ryoma that the store also had wasabi flavor ice cream. Ryoma's face twisted in disgust when she heard the last one. When Touga and Sora said that they like the wasabi ice cream too, Ryoma told herself that they must have somehow inherited their uncle's taste buds. Then, Touga had an idea, a wonderful one he believed.

"Nee-chan, you must eat the wasabi flavor ice cream!" Touga excitedly exclaimed.

"_What?!_ No! I…" Ryoma's face paled rapidly, much to the Yuuta's and Fuji's amusement. Touga turned to Atobe.

"Kei-nii-sama, can we visit the ice cream store after this, please?" Touga asked Atobe, cutting off Ryoma's protests. "I want to make nee-chan eat the wasabi ice cream!"

_'No! Don't agree!' _Ryoma's panicked face told Atobe.

"Onegai, Kei-nii-sama," Sora added, looking expectantly at Atobe. Then, she turned to Ryoma. "Nee-chan, wasabi ice cream is very yummy. You must taste it!" And Sora attacked Ryoma with her happy puppy eyes.

Ryoma's eyes rolled back so she didn't hear Atobe's answer to the children's request, but, at the end, Ryoma found herself standing in front of said ice cream store. It was a small store with lots of colorful decorations. It was obvious, even at first site, that the store was meant for the children's joy. The store window also displayed many confectionaries that promised the happiness of many people, both young and old.

"It's here, nee-chan! It's the store we talked about!" Touga excitedly exclaimed, pointing to the open door of the store.

"Kore wa, kore wa. Isn't that Touga-kun and Sora-chan?" The owner of the store came out to greet them. He was an old man who's face had many wrinkles but still possessed a warm smile.

"Ojii-chan, konnichiwa!" Touga and Sora greeted him, bowing.

"Konnichiwa, konnichiwa," the old man chuckled. He crouched down at the level of the children. "Now, how may I help you today?"

"Ojii-chan, we want wasabi ice cream!" Touga said.

"We want to make nee-chan taste wasabi flavor ice cream," Sora said, hugging Ryoma's hand.

"Hum?" the old man looked at Ryoma, whose face obviously said she didn't want to eat said ice cream. He chuckled. Every new customers he met always made that face whenever they heard about the wasabi ice cream.

The owner of the store explained to Ryoma and to Lavinia that it was Fuji who gave him the idea of wasabi ice cream. Ryoma's eyebrow ticked upon hearing that bit of information. The old man added that it was a huge success in this small town. Ryoma thought that all the people of the town must have their taste buds infected or severely damaged to like wasabi flavor ice cream. Yuuta told Ryoma that it wasn't that bad and that the flavor was truly very good. But even Yuuta couldn't erase Ryoma's grimace. Sora choose that moment to shove a green color ice cream cup with a spoon in Ryoma's face.

"Here, nee-chan!" Sora said, looking expectantly at Ryoma.

"Try it!" Touga said, looking at her with his big eyes.

Ryoma gulped. The joyful expression in the children's eyes made it hard for her to refuse. Not wanting to deceive them, Ryoma took a small spoon with a trembling hand and slowly brought it to her mouth. She stopped midway. The children continued to watch her every move without blinking. Ryoma bit her lips. She had no choice to eat the ice cream for real. She gulped and resolved to put the spoon in her mouth. Her tongue was immediately attack by a firing acridness. Next, it changed into a bitter taste and, finally, it soothed her tastebuds with sweet tang. The final sensation left her with the fresh taste of the newly made ice cream. Ryoma blinked in surprise.

"It's… It's very good…" she murmured quietly. The children beamed.

"Right!" Touga and Sora chorused.

"It's true," Lavinia said as well.

"But how…?" Ryoma wondered with a curious frown.

"Green tea and peppermint have been added into the formula," Lavinia explained. "At first, the wasabi will attack your tongue, burning it. Then, the green tea will replace the burning sensation with a bitter taste. And finally, the peppermint will clean the bitterness and leaves a fresh sensation in the mouth. And it's the three sensations combined together that bring out the sweetness of the ice cream."

"Ohhh!" the owner said, impressed. "You have a very good sense of taste."

"That's why it is so popular," Yuuta commented.

"Fuji-sama, I can never thank you enough for the idea of the wasabi ice cream!" the owner praised, taking Fuji's hand and shaking it.

"It was my pleasure. You made the children smile so much that I wanted to help," Fuji said.

Surprised to hear those kind words from Fuji, Ryoma looked up at him. She met his eyes and blood rushed up to her cheeks, catching Lavinia's attention.

_'Ryoma-chan blushed? It's strange, coming from her_…_'_ Lavinia gasped, eyes wide.

In that moment, Lavinia realized that Ryoma wasn't the only one who was acting strangely. Fuji as well - he, too, had been acting particularly tender toward Ryoma in all his gestures.

_'Syuusuke is strangely very gentle toward Ryoma,' _Lavinia observed. _'And the way he looks at her… His eyes are so soft and tender…'_

But Lavinia also saw Fuji's face twist in pain when Ryoma diverted her eyes away from him.

* * *

Night time.

Lavinia took a walk alone outside around the lake behind the hot spring resort. The night was nice and it felt good to have some fresh air. Lavinia needed some to help her think. She was pondering about what she had seen today between Fuji and Ryoma. Before, because she had been caught up in her loneliness, Lavinia hadn't pay too much attention to Syuusuke. But, thanks to children's change of behavior toward her and mostly thanks to Ryoma, Lavinia could clear her mind and analyze things more clearly.

_'Today, the Syuusuke I saw was very different from the one I see everyday,' _Lavinia thought. _'I know Syuusuke to be a responsible young man who always keeps his engagements, even to the point where people would think he has no heart because he is so cold. However, today, I saw him act gentle and tender toward someone else.'_

Then, she remembered Ryoma's blush.

_'Ryoma-chan is not the kind of girl who can feel embarrassed of anything, but she blushed because of Syuusuke.'_ Lavinia looked up the sky. _'I also know Ryoma-chan doesn't speak when she doesn't need to, but today, it felt more like she didn't speak because she didn't know what to talk about.'_

Lavinia felt her steps begin abate as her thoughts consumed her mind.

_'Syuusuke and Ryoma weren't like their usual selves today. I'm absolutely sure about it,'_ Lavinia concluded.

Ryoma's and Fuji's distressed face flashed in her head. Lavinia stopped, feeling something hit her like thunder.

_'Masaka, don't tell me that Syuusuke and Ryoma…'_

Suddenly, Lavinia spotted the shadow of two people near the lake. She walked into their direction to see who they were. As she got closer, the light of the moon reveal a tall, young brunette and a young, green-black haired girl.

_'Syuusuke and Ryoma!'_

They seemed to be talking about something. Not wanting to disturb them, Lavinia stopped. Knowing that she shouldn't be rude and spy on them, Lavinia was going to walk on the opposite side when Ryoma's expression under the moonlight made her stop.

_'Ryoma-chan, she looks like she's… like she's suffering…'_ Lavinia thought.

Lavinia continued to watch them. She saw Fuji's lips moving, saying something to Ryoma. His eyes were open and he seemed determined. He was demanding something from Ryoma. Ryoma had her head tilted backward to look at him because he was taller than her. While Fuji was talking, Ryoma's fists clenched and she bite her lips, her body trembling. Ryoma was in turmoil and it was torturing her inside. After Fuji stopped talking, Ryoma shut her eyes, fighting with herself. To Lavinia's horror, she saw a flood of tears pour out from Ryoma's eyes. Ryoma replied something back to Fuji and ran away. Fuji made a move to stop her, but Ryoma was faster. He called out her name, but the young tennis player wouldn't look back at him. Instead, she ran ahead, her movements completely without restraint. Lavinia saw Fuji's face twist in pain as he brought his hand to his heart, clutching at it.

Lavinia brought her hand to her mouth, muffling any noise noise that may have escaped.

_'Syuusuke… Ryoma…'_

* * *

1) onsen: hot spring;

2) hiobaa-sama: great grandmother.


	65. Confrontation

Previously_…_

Lavinia saw two people talking near the lake. The light of the moon revealed a tall, young brunette and a black-green haired girl.

_'Syuusuke and Ryoma!'_

Knowing that she shouldn't be rude and spy on them, Lavinia was going to walk on the opposite side when Ryoma's expression under the moonlight made her stop.

_'Ryoma-chan, she looks like she's… like she's suffering…'_ Lavinia thought.

Lavinia continued to watch them. She saw Fuji's lips moving, saying something to Ryoma. His eyes were open and he seemed determined. He was demanding something from Ryoma who had to tilt her head back to look at him. As he talked, Ryoma's fist clenched and she bit her lips. Her expression looked as though she were being tortured. After Fuji stopped talking, Ryoma shut her eyes and she started trembling. To Lavinia's horror, she saw tears start pouring out of Ryoma's eyes. Ryoma said something back to Fuji and abruptly ran away. Fuji made a move to stop her, but Ryoma was faster. He called her name, but Ryoma didn't look back at him as she kept running. Lavinia saw the pain on Fuji's face as he brought his hand to his heart, painfully clutching it.

Lavinia brought her hand to her mouth, covering it so that no sound would escape.

_'Syuusuke… Ryoma…'_

* * *

"Ryoma-chan, you haven't seemed yourself lately," Lavinia said.

Surprised, Ryoma looked up at Lavinia.

"Miyabi-senpai," she muttered.

Lavinia had stopped by for a visit, and they had gone up to Ryoma's room after dinner where they sat on the bed, talking. Karupin, curled on Lavinia's lap, purred under her hands, his tail swinging back and forth. Ryoma darted her eyes away from Lavinia, biting her lips.

"You often look sad and you're awfully quiet today," Lavinia continued. Ryoma's fingers began to play with the hem of her shirt.

"It's… It's just that I have a lot in my mind lately…" Ryoma muttered, looking down to her feet.

"Can you tell me what's been bothering you?" Lavinia asked.

"I…" Ryoma didn't answer but, instead, laced her hands together, clenching them. Lavinia took Karupin off her lap and put the cat on the bed. She moved closer to Ryoma and covered the young tennis player's hands with her own.

"Ryoma-chan, your parents, your brother and your cousin are worried when they see you like this. Me too. I am worried as well," Lavinia said. "Can you tell me what made you so sad?"

"Miyabi-senpai…" Ryoma closed her eyes, feeling her tears begin to gather as she felt Lavinia's sincere worry through her skin. "I… I cannot tell you…"

She couldn't tell Lavinia the reason behind her sadness. She couldn't tell Lavinia about her feelings for Fuji. If she did, she might hurt Lavinia, and Ryoma didn't want to hurt anyone. But keeping that secret inside her made her suffer. Ryoma was torn. She no longer knew what to do. And despite how much effort she put into control herself, her tears were stronger than her and they escaped from her eyes. Ryoma quietly cried. Lavinia silently watched her, an idea running through her head. Then, she decided to give it a try.

"Ryoma-chan, could it be…" Lavinia hesitated. "Could it be… that your sadness has something to do with Syuusuke?" she slowly finished, her hesitancy evident with every word. Shocked, Ryoma opened her eyes and looked up to Lavinia, gasping.

_'What?! How did she…?'_ Ryoma panicked. Lavinia continued.

"Ryoma-chan…" Lavinia softly said again, bringing her hands up to cup Ryoma's face. "Could it be… that you love Syuusuke?" Lavinia finished more tenderly. Ryoma stopped breathing

_'She…' _she panicked. _'She knows!' _

The secret she didn't want Lavinia to know was no longer a secret. Lavinia already knew. Ryoma could say that she didn't know what Lavinia meant, but her mind was too distressed to build up a lie.

"Mi-Miyabi-senpai… I… I…" Ryoma bursted in tears. "Wuaaaaaaaaah! Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She cried like a baby.

"Oh, Ryoma-chan…" Lavinia pulled Ryoma into her arms and hugged her.

"Wuaaaaaaaaah!" Ryoma continued to cry in Lavinia's arms.

* * *

Lavinia didn't stop hugging Ryoma until the younger girl had fallen asleep. Lavinia tucked her kouhai under her cover and silently stepped out of Ryoma's room, leaving Karupin to guard his mistress. When Lavinia closed the door, she saw Rinko standing next to her. Rinko smiled.

"I made some tea. Would you like to join me?" Rinko pleasantly asked.

Lavinia smiled.

"It would be my pleasure, Echizen-san," Lavinia said.

The two women went down into the living room. Lavinia sat on a cushion and Rinko poured her a cup of tea.

"You know, Miyabi-san, you are the very first girl Ryoma has ever opened herself up to," Rinko said, pouring herself a cup of tea. "When she was young, Ryoma was very small compared to kids her age. She was often made fun of because of her short height, and Nanjirou and Ryoga certainly didn't help her. They used to tease her when they played tennis, saying that she was too short to reach a ball or that she needs longer legs to run faster. They made it worse each time she lost a game against them. It came to the point where Ryoma believed girls to be weaker than boys. Then, she decided that she won't play with girls. She wanted to become stronger, so she ended up playing with boys only - mostly playing tennis of course. She even went so far as to tell us to see her as a boy! After that day, she never wanted to put on a dress anymore." Rinko sighed. "It was so sad because she's so cute in dresses." Sigh again. "One day, it turned out that Ryoma no longer wanted to be a girl or wear girl clothes. That was partially why Nanjirou started to buy his dreadful magazines. He missed seeing his lovely and adorable little princess in cute clothes. He likes picturing Ryoma in a dress." Rinko smiled fondly.

"Is that so," Lavinia said, amused.

"But that still makes him a pervert!" Rinko growled, grinding her teeth.

Lavinia chuckled. Rinko sighed and calmed down.

"As she grew up, Ryoma came to feel awkward around girls," Rinko continued. "That's why she doesn't want to be close friend with them. She is very reserved around them." Rinko looked up at Lavinia. "But you're the exception. You are the very first girl she has let come so close to her."

Lavinia smiled.

"I don't know why, but I feel particularly attached to her," Lavinia said. "She made people want to protect her. The other day in the dress store, after what Ryoga-san did to her, she was so distressed that I felt like wanting to console her like a mother. Even the manager of the store couldn't help but feeling maternal toward her too."

"Isn't she adorable and lovable when she is distressed?" Rinko fondly said. They laughed wholeheartedly. After a moment, Rinko spoke again.

"Thank you for what you've done for her," Rinko said.

Lavinia smiled again.

"I'm the one who is happy that Ryoma-chan choose me as a friend," Lavinia fondly said.

* * *

Fuji household.

Sinking into his armchair with his collar unbuttoned, Fuji looked at the moon. In his right hand, he held a yellow ribbon. It was the ribbon from Ryoma's Valentine chocolate. He had preciously kept it with him. But now, he regretted having keep it, especially after the announce of his engagement. The ribbon always reminded him of Ryoma and the painful acknowledgment that loving her was forbidden to him. Yet, he could no longer bring himself to throw it away. Fuji brought his fingers to his lips, touching them. He still remembered. He still remembered how soft her lips were. Her lips had tasted wonderful, like an addicting wine nectar, which made him to to taste her again. But that addicting wine also turned him into a fool.

He remembered the night at the lake at the onsen resort. Fuji closed his eyes, covering them with the left hand.

"What an fool I was…" he muttered.

And the worst, he knew it was a foolish thing to do, but he still did it. That night at the onsen, he really made an imbecile of himself.

* * *

Flashback

"Ryoma," Fuji said, skipping the prefix _-chan_, "run away with me!"

End flashback

* * *

He told Ryoma to elope with him - to flee with him.

_'Why didn't I think before acting?'_

Why didn't he think about Ryoma's feelings before saying these words to her? He clearly recalled her reaction. She had looked up at him with her beautiful golden eyes, which were filling with turmoil as he talked to her. Ryoma struggle to control the violence of her emotions had left her trembling, but she lost her fight and the atrocious torment escaped out of her body through her tears.

* * *

Flashback

"Fuji-senpai, I cannot do that…" she told him, crying. "I cannot hurt Miyabi-senpai!"

She turned on her heels and ran away.

End flashback

* * *

_'She ran away from me…' _Fuji clenched his fingers. _'I was so selfish. I only thought about myself and my feelings. I didn't consider hers… And I hurt her…' _He bit his lips.

_'I hurt her…'_

* * *

_Knock knock knock._

Someone was knocking on his door. Fuji's eyes snapped open as he sat up in his chair and straightened out his clothes. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Yes?" he called out in a normal voice. The door opened to reveal Lavinia.

"Excuse-me, Syuusuke," Lavinia said. Fuji stiffened and stood up. "May I speak with you?" Lavinia asked. Fuji looked at her for a moment.

"Please come in," Fuji said in a slightly reluctant tone. Lavinia saw it, but that didn't stop her. She calmly stepped in the room. "Lavinia-san, how may I help you?" Fuji asked.

Lavinia noticed he kept using the prefix after her name. He was still reserved toward her. Lavinia sat in front of him.

"I will not beat around the bush. I will be straight with you," Lavinia said. She looked up at him. "Am I wrong or do you not want to be married with me?"

Fuji hesitated. Then, he looked straight to her.

"Lavinia-san," Fuji spoke, "I will obey to my grandmother's order. Do not worry about me breaking the engagement," Fuji said, biting his lips.

Strangely, Lavinia didn't feel hurt by his words. Lavinia carefully examined him. She saw him holding a small yellow ribbon between his fingers. She thought it was unlike Fuji Syuusuke to carry such an item - such a feminine item. She presumed the ribbon came from someone else, and, judging by the way Fuji held the ribbon so preciously, it was someone he held very dear in his heart.

"May I ask another question?" Lavinia politely requested.

"Please do," Fuji replied.

"Syuusuke," Lavinia said slowly, her eyes fixed on him, "do you… do you already have someone in your heart?" Fuji's fingers immediately tightened around the ribbon. Lavinia saw his gesture. The brunette darted his eyes away from her. He had more and more difficulty repressing his feelings for Ryoma whenever she was mentioned. On the other hand, it was a very clear answer for Lavinia's question.

"And does this person…" Lavinia hesitated, "does this person happened to be… Ryoma-chan?"

_'What?!?'_ Fuji's eyes snapped open as he panicked. He spun around to look at Lavinia, his pupils trembling.

_'She… She knows…'_

_

* * *

_

Post: Novembre 27th, 2009._  
_


	66. Surrender

A/N: I got a pillow in the face T_T. A _pillow_ in my face! *0* Courtesy from NikkiRubio101 nonetheless! I used to love pillow. I love to have tones of pillow around me. I have various pillows of various shapes, various colors and various materials: a plain but fluffy white rectangle pillow, a round blue one, a set of red-green-black square pillow made with satin textile, golden embroidery, ribbon decoration, flower print… I worship the person/people who have that wonderful, marvelous and brilliant idea to bring pillow in this world. But this pillow felt different from my pillows collection…

Now with this new chapter, will I get a nicer pillow? ~_~

* * *

Previously…

"I will be straight with you," Lavinia said. She looked up at him. "Syuusuke," Lavinia said slowly, her eyes fixed on him, "do you already have someone in your heart?" Fuji's fingers immediately tightened around the ribbon. Lavinia saw his gesture. The brunette darted his eyes away from her. He had more and more difficulty repressing his feelings for Ryoma when her name was brought up. On the other hand, it was a very clear answer for Lavinia's question. "And does this person happened to be Ryoma-chan?"

_'What?'_ Fuji's eyes snapped open as he panicked. He spun around to look at Lavinia, his pupils trembling.

_'She… She knows…'_

* * *

In his room.

Fuji couldn't sleep. His conversation with Lavinia still echoed in his head. He was afraid. His fiancée knew about him being unfaithful to her. And, even worse, she knew why or, more accurately, who.

_'Ryoma…' _He covered his face with his hands. He was scared. He was scared for her. He was scared of what might happen to her. His fright made him lose the little common sense left in him and woke an urgent desire.

_'I must see her_…' Fuji looked outside his window. It was dark and the rain was pouring hard, but that didn't hinder Fuji's desire. _'I must see her. Now!'_

Fuji stood up and ran out of his room.

* * *

It was pouring outside. It was the kind of storm which cool down everyone joy, but was necessary for the earth. Thunders stroked, startling Ryoma in her sleep. Annoyed at being disturb by the thundering noises, she dozily extracted herself out of the bed, wanting to close the curtain. She trailed herself up to the window, grabbing the fabric of the curtain when the thunder stroke again, blinding her. Ryoma covered her eyes, protecting them from the flashing light. After a moment, she brought her arm down to see someone looking at her from in the tree facing her her window. Ryoma's eyes widened.

_'Fuji-senpai? What is he… ?'  
_

Hastily, Ryoma pulled her window open.

"Fuji-senpai, what are you doing out there in the rain?" she shouted.

"Ryoma…" Fuji said softly, trembling all the while from the cold.

"Fuji-senpai, please come in!" She opened her window wider and held her arms out towards him.

"Ryoma…" Fuji said again, still not moving. He simply stared at her from the branch of the tree. It hurt him to see her, but it also made him happy.

"Fuji-senpai, please get in now!" Ryoma urged him.

"Ryoma…" Fuji repeated again.

* * *

Once she succeeded to brought him inside her room, she made him sit on her bed. His clothes were soaking wet and he was trembling.

"Fuji-senpai, please wait here a moment! I will come back soon!" Ryoma ran out of her room. She went straight to the bathroom and took a dry towel. Then, she ran to Ryoga's room, bursting inside. Ryoga raised an eyebrow, wondering what had happened.

"What is it, Chibisuke?" Ryoga asked.

"Lend me your pajamas!" Ryoma demanded urgently.

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked, confused. Why would she need his pajamas? His clothes were too big for her. Ryoma didn't wait for an answer. She ran straight to his drawers, pulling them open. She rummaged through his clothes, but couldn't find a pajamas. Ryoga put down his book and stood up. He opened his closet and pulled out a pair of blue strips pajamas from a shelf. "Why do you need my pajamas?" Ryoga asked, giving her the clothes.

"Thank you!" she said, ignoring his question. She just grabbed the pajamas and immediately ran out his room.

"Wait, Chibisuke!" Ryoga called her. Ryoma ignored him.

* * *

"Fuji-senpai!" Ryoma burst in her room.

"Ryoma…" Fuji repeated. Ryoma gave him the dry towel and the clothes.

"Here, dry yourself and change clothes," she said. "I will make some tea." Ryoma ran out again and headed down to the kitchen.

When she returned back, Fuji was still sitting on her bed, but he had changed into Ryoga's blue strips pajamas with the towel around his neck. Ryoma put her tray on a table, poured a cup of tea and brought it to him.

"Here, Fuji-senpai," she said. "Be careful. It's hot."

Fuji took the cup and slowly drank it. The whole time he was drinking his cup of tea, Ryoma didn't stop looking at him. She was very confused. Fuji wasn't the kind of person to do foolish things like going outside under the rain and climbing up a tree, but that's what he had done. There was certainly a reason behind his action. And as she watched him, she felt her heart clench.

_'Fuji-senpai…'  
_

Fuji finished his cup of tea. Ryoma took it and walked to the table where she set the tray, turning her back to him. She didn't want him to see the uneasy feeling drawn on her face. While she was poured him another cup, she spoke.

"Fuji-senpai, why did you come her-…? Ah!" Ryoma exclaimed when two arms snaked around her from behind. Taken by surprise, she dropped the cup and Fuji tightened his arms around her. He crushed her against him and put his head in the crook of her neck.

"Fu-Fuji-… senpai…" Ryoma stuttered, feeling her heartbeat running faster. "Fuji-senpai, what are you-… _Omphfffff!_" Fuji flipped them around and pushed her lightly. The two of them fell on her bed with her on her back and him on the top of her. Ryoma panicked. "Fuji-senpai, what are you-… _Ummn_!"

Fuji silenced her with his mouth, his right hand under the nape of her neck to keep her still. He kissed her forcefully, gnawing at her lips. Ryoma stood rigid and unresponsive. She had the impression that he was drinking her life energy from her soul. And that scared her. Feeling her stiffed underneath him, Fuji softened his assault but didn't stop his sensual administration on her lips. He fed her back the same amount of his soul energy to her, if not more. It was like he called for an exchange of their soul energy, but gave her more than the amount he took from her. This one didn't scare her, but, incredibly, it made her feel… euphoric. Ryoma trembled in Fuji's arms, feeling the intensity of his love for her, of his craving desire to be with her. Ryoma began to moan softly and Fuji took the opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth.

After a long moment, he slowly released her lips. He raised himself up to look down at her face, his eyes open. He examined her features to engrave every detail of her face into his memory, never wanting to forget the emotions shining in her eyes.

"Fu-Fuji-senpai…?" Ryoma stammered, trembling.

He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her neck again. Ryoma felt his lips brush against her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

"Just for tonight…" he whispered, brushing his mouth against her ear. "Just for tonight, let me hold you throughout the night…" He tenderly kissed her a last on her temple before closing his eyes. He fall asleep, keeping her trap in his arms.

After some minutes of silence, Ryoma tentatively tried to speak.

"Fu-Fuji-senpai…?" she called, but Fuji didn't move. He had already drifted off far away in his sleep, exhausted. He was completely drained by all the emotions and harship he kept inside.

Ryoma was distressed, her thoughts messily running in all directions. She didn't understand what had just happened to her. There was only one thing she knew: from that second, her soul was forever chained to his and it never want to be freed. Acknowledging that fatal reality also induced another realisation: she lost her fight against herself to suppress _it_. _It_ was this fiery flame of forbidden love, which ignited itself once again despite how hard she tried to kill it. The one who possessed her heart in his palm was so close to her that she could even feel his heartbeat against her own. She knew what she must NOT do it, but her arms moved on their own. They closed themselves around Fuji. With him so close to her, she lost her will to fight.

_'I surrender…'_ She closed her eyes, a salty and bitter tear rolled down her cheek. Ryoma succumbed to the fire inside her, letting it consuming her without protest.

Once again.

_'Please, just this once_…' Ryoma begged kami-sama, other tears following the same path than the first one.

'_Just this once, let us stay like this_…'

She shut her eyes and buried her face in Fuji's neck. Gripping her fingers harder on his clothes, she cried in silence.

_'Just this once only_…_' _

Soon, the flood of tears carried her away with them in the land of sleep. They brought her to the place where the master of her heart was waiting for her in her dream.

Upon Ryoma's bed, a ghost was watching down from the ceiling at the two enlaced young people. It was the lady who often appeared in Ryoma's dreams. She watched them sad eyes.

_'Ryoma-chan__…_' the lady whispered. _'I'm sorry__ I have to put you through this…__ But p__lease, just bear with it a little bit longer. I__t will end soon, I promise.'_ She turned her head to Ryoma's door, where she knew someone was on the other side.

* * *

Outside of Ryoma's room, Ryoga was leaned on her door. He had been there from the moment Ryoma ran out of his room with his pajamas. Ryoga clenched his fists, knowing the distress his little sister must be feeling by now. Ryoga was frustrated. In his current situation, he couldn't do anything to help her.

_'Chibisuke…'_

* * *

A/N: So, do I get a nicer pillow? Or worst? O.o

Post: December 4th, 2009


	67. It's Time

Previously_…_

_'I surrender…' _She closed her eyes, a salty and bitter tear rolling down her cheek. Ryoma succumbed to the fire inside her, letting it consuming her without protest. Once again. _'Please, just this once_… _Just this once, let us stay like this_…' She shut her eyes and buried her face in Fuji's neck. Tightening her grip on his clothes, she cried in silence. _'Just this once only_…_' _Soon, the flood of tears carried her away with them into the land of sleep. They brought her to the place where the master of her heart was waiting for her in her dreams.

Above Ryoma's bed, a ghost was watching them from the ceiling at the two enlaced couple. It was the lady who often appeared in Ryoma's dreams. She watched them sad eyes.

_'Ryoma-chan__…_' the lady whispered. _'I'm sorry__ I have to put you through this…__ But p__lease, just bear with it a little bit longer. I__t will end soon, I promise.' _She turned her head to Ryoma's door where she knew someone was on the other side.

Outside of Ryoma's room, Ryoga was leaned on her door. He had been there from the moment Ryoma ran out of his room with his pajamas. Ryoga clenched his fists, knowing the distress his little sister must be feeling by now. Ryoga was frustrated. In his current situation, he couldn't do anything to help her.

_'Chibisuke…'_

* * *

Ryoga walked alone around the park. He had a lot in his mind and he needed fresh air to help him thinking. Despite the blue sky and the sunny day, the smile of the sun couldn't cheer up Ryoga. Ryoga had too much fog, thick fog, clouding up his head.

_'Chibisuke…'_

Ryoga stopped walking, closing his eyes. He pictured Ryoma and Fuji in his head again. He couldn't seem to forget Ryoma's sadness the morning after she had spent in Fuji's arms. Ryoga look up at the sky.

_'What should I do?'  
_

He closed his eyes and brought up his hand to cover them. He knew very well that Fuji and his little sister truly loved each other and it wasn't only a temporary crush. But they cannot be together. Ryoma's sad eyes flashed in his head again. She was no longer the annoying little sister he knew. And that disturbed him. He rather have her fishing his wallet anytime she wanted than to see her walk around like a ghost.

_'Is there anything I can do to help her?' _Ryoga stood immobilized in the middle of the park, his hand still covering his eyes.

Above him, someone was watching him. A ghost. It was the same woman who often appeared in Ryoma's dream.

* * *

From behind Ryoga, someone walked up to him.

"Ryoga-san," a feminine voice called him. Ryoga snapped out of his trance and turned around. He saw Lavinia standing in front of him, her hands crossed on her dress.

"Miyabi-san," Ryoga greeted her a bit stiffly, somewhat reluctant to talk with the woman who stood at the root of such a huge problem. Ryoga was unsure how to face the fiancée of the one Ryoma loved.

Ryoma might see her as a very good friend - which Ryoga was happy about -, but Ryoga couldn't ignore the fact that it was also because of her that Ryoma was hurt. And that, Ryoga wasn't happy about it. Ryoga could forgive people of many things, but hurting his little sister, even unintentionally, was a different story. However, Rinko had always told him to be a gentleman to a lady, no matter what they did.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Ryoga politely spoke. Lavinia clenched her hands at Ryoga's slight coldness, but she cannot blame him for worrying about Ryoma. But still, it hurt her more than she wanted to admit it.

"Ryoga-san, why? Why are you suddenly so cold to me?" Lavinia asked, clenching her hands tighter. Ryoga turned his eyes away from her.

"How can you understand_…?_" Ryoga simply muttered. But Lavinia heard him. She broke.

"_OF COURSE I CAN UNDERSTAND!_" Lavinia yelled. Surprise by her outburst, Ryoga brought back his eyes to her. Lavinia was crying now, really crying, crying in a lady-like way.

"Of course I understand Ryoma-chan's feeling!" Lavinia continued yelling, tears rolling down her cheek, her fists closed. "I perfectly understand her! I'm exactly like her! I too love someone I cannot be together with!"

"Er_…_" Ryoga stuttered, feeling remorse. "I'm sorry_…_" he muttered, "I didn't mean to hurt you_…_"

He knew it was unfair of him to vent his frustration on her, yet he did it. Ryoga closed his eyes, thinking. He feared that if he stood there any longer, he would hurt an innocent person even more than he already had. Rinko always taught him that girls hated it when people saw them crying, and they hated it more when it was a boy who saw them crying. Ryoga turned on his heels and walked away.

Aloof.

Lavinia misunderstood his action. She thought he was going to leave her there, alone, while she was hurting.

"Ryoga-san!" Lavinia yelled. Ryoga stopped.

He turned around to see Lavinia walking hurriedly (running) to him. Lavinia raised her right hand, anger burning in her teary eyes. And then,

_SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!_

The echo of Lavinia's slap resounded throughout the park. Ryoga felt the anger in her soul burning on his left cheek.

* * *

Yagyuu household.

Yagyuu, sat in his chair, wasn't looking at his computer screen. Usually, he would diligently work on the plan he concocted months and months ago. But lately, because of the new turn of the events, he could no longer work without feeling guilty. Today, he didn't turn on his computer.

"Ah_…_" Yagyuu sighed.

_'Ryuu…'_ he thought about his cousin.

Yagyuu knew what was bothering Ryoga right now. Ryoga's little sister Echizen Ryoma loved an elite, Fuji Syuusuke. Fuji Syuusuke also happened to love Ryoga's little sister back. But because of difference of their origin, the two young lovers couldn't be together. Yagyuu knew Fuji's family wouldn't refuse Fuji's choice if Fuji presented them Ryoma, but the main problem was Fuji's grandmother, Fuji-dono. Even if Fuji's parents accepted Ryoma, it was Fuji-dono who have the right of the final decision. Even though Fuji's father was the head of the family, the true ruler of the Fujis was Fuji-dono. And Fuji-dono had already chosen a wife for Fuji.

Yagyuu knew perfectly well that Fuji-dono must have met Ryoma by now. Atobe told him about the trip to the onsen. Atobe didn't hide Fuji-dono's attitude toward Ryoma from Yagyuu. For Fuji-dono, a simple commoner by the name of Echizen Ryoma wasn't anything near a threat to Fuji-dono's project. But Fuji-dono couldn't ignore that that Echizen-girl was loved by her grandson. The simple commoner was no longer just an annoying pebble in her plan, but its became something Fuji-dono must crush under her shoe. Knowing Fuji-dono's personality, Yagyuu had no doubt that Fuji-dono would succeed once she would decide to remove Ryoma once and for all from Fuji's life. If that situation was to become reality, Ryoga would be the angriest of them all. And he would hate Fuji-dono and Fuji-dono's world more than he had ever had before.

_'And then, he would have more reasons to never want to come back to the family.'_

That would destroy Yagyuu's attempt at fulfilling the promise he had made to his grandfather before the latter died. Yagyuu's grandfather lost his desire to live when he found out about the murder of his son Kuchiki, Ryuu/Ryoga's father, and his wife Nadeshiko. Before Yagyuu's grandfather left the world, he made Yagyuu promised to find his cousin Ryuu, who's body wasn't found in the car crash.

_'By all means, bring Ryuu back in the family_…_ for me_…_' _Yagyuu remembered his grandfather's last words.

Yagyuu sighed.

_'I've only fulfilled half of the promise up to now,' _he thought. He found Ryuu. But he must also bring Ryuu _BACK_ into the family. Yagyuu looked down at the craft paper envelope placed in front of him.

_'With the new turn of event, this is the solution for Ryoga,'_ Yagyuu thought. The document was the solution for Ryoga's actual problem **_AND _**the goal of Yagyuu's ten years quest.

_'But…' _Yagyuu turned upside down the document. He hastily stood up and went to the window.

_'If I do _it_, Ryuu will return back in the family by himself. But will he be happy after?' _Only silence answered to him. Yagyuu was sure it wasn't what his grandfather wanted for Ryuu. Yagyuu looked up into the sky.

_'Grandfather, what should I do now?' _

His grandfather answered to him.

_Knock knock knock!_

* * *

_Knock knock knock!_

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Yagyuu answered.

"Hiroshi-sama, telephone for you," his butler said, a tray with the telephone on his hand.

"Thank you," Yagyuu said. "You can leave." The butler nodded. He put the tray on Yagyuu's desk and left the room. Yagyuu pick up the phone. "Moshi moshi."

"Hiroshi, it's me," someone said at the other end of the line. Yagyuu's eye widened.

"Ryuu," Yagyuu said.

". . . " Ryoga didn't protest at the name. Yagyuu found it strange. Ryoga didn't talk for a moment and Yagyuu waited for him to continue. Plus, Ryoga didn't call him on his cellphone like he used to do. Something serious was coming.

"Hiroshi, I need your help," Ryoga finally said.

* * *

After hours, Yagyuu and Ryoga finished talking.

"Don't worry," Yagyuu said, determined. "Leave everything to me."

"Thank you. I trust you," Ryoga said, hanging up.

Yaguu put down the telephone and didn't move. He only watched the phone he had just put down. What he had always wanted had finally become reality. Yet, he didn't feel like rejoicing.

_'I would be a monster to enjoy myself when Ryuu isn't,' _Yagyuu thought. He clenched his fingers around the telephone._ 'I promise you, Ryoga, I won't let you down.'_

He returned back in his chair and turned on his computer. Then, he paused, looking at the craft envelope on his desk. Slowly, he picked it up, looking at it. He tightened his finger on the envelope.

_'I swear Ryoga, I won't fail your trust into me!'_

Yagyuu torn the envelope open and pulled out the document inside.

Above Yagyuu's head, the ghostly woman from Ryoma's dream was watching him. She had been there from the moment Yagyuu received Ryoga's call.

_'It's time now,'_ the woman thought.


	68. Miyabi's Tormented Heart

A/N: Wow! Many of you got at good guessing about what will happen in this chapter.

* * *

Millenium Hotel.

It was Fuji's engagement party. Fuji and Lavinia, dressed in their formal attire, made an outstanding young couple. Lavinia's ethereal grace complemented beautifully with Fuji's elegance. The photographers clicked nonstop on the button of their camera, not wanting to miss one single move of the young couple. Like them, the guests of the engagement party were too blinded by Fuji's and Lavinia's blazing presence to notice something out of the ordinary. The shadow behind Fuji's and Lavinia's (stiff) faces was visible to only a very small number of people. The first strange point was that, from the moment Fuji and Lavinia stepped in the room, they didn't talk to each other once. The guests took it as the young couple being able to communicate with one another without needing to exchange words. Another strange point, Fuji was colder than his usual attitude. He was much more unapproachable and Lavinia seemed to want to vanish away. But because it was Fuji Syuusuke and Countess Lavinia de Lavoiselle they were talking about, the guests took their quietness as something absolutely normal coming from those two dreamy creations of the Lord. And the most important point, the two of them didn't exchange a single glance from the beginning of the party. The two fiancés stood side by side, but each of them looked at the opposite direction of the other. There was no harmony or happiness in the aura surrounding the young future husband and wife.

On the stage set in front of the guest, a man, appointed as the master of the ceremony, stepped up to the mike.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man started, "Thank you for your presence here today to celebrate this wonderful event. You will be the privileged testimonies of the first step in the union of the Fuji family's heir, Fuji Syuusuke, and the heiress of the Count Maximilien George de Lavoiselle of France, Countess Miyabi Lavinia de Lavoiselle." The guests clapped their hands. "But before everything, Fuji-dono would like to have a word with you." The man turned to Fuji-dono, bowing respectfully to her and showed her the way to the front. "Fuji-dono, please this way."

The guests clapped their hand again as Fuji-dono stepped on the stage under the flashing lights of the photographers.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Fuji-dono started, "Thank you for your presence here today to celebrate my grandson's engagement with the Countess Lavinia de Lavoiselle. From this moment, the Fuji family will shine brighter in the future with the union between grace and intelligence."

The guests applauded Fuji-dono as she climbed down the stage after her short speech. Brief and strong like always, that was how Fuji-dono's speech had always been qualified. Everything she needed to say, she expressed them all in only one sentence. The master of the ceremony took back his place on the stage.

"Now presenting to you the two honored young people of the night, Fuji Syuusuke and Countess Miyabi Lavinia de Lavoiselle," the master introduced dramatically. The guests gave a loud applause once more as Fuji and Lavinia walked onto the stage. Once they were in the middle of the stage, the applause concerto became stronger and more lights flashed in the room under the hand of the photographers.

"And now, it's time for the exchanging of the engagement rings," the master of the ceremony continued. From behind the stage, Touga and Sora, prettily dressed, walked out, each holding a cushion in their hand. On their cushion, a ring was attached with ivory silk ribbons. Touga carried the ring for the fiancé while Sora had the one for the fiancée. And, like Fuji and Lavinia, they too didn't smile. Unlike the many guests of the room, Touga and Sora sensed the true feelings behind their uncle's and Lavinia's calmness. Touga and Sora stopped next to the fiancés. Touga stood next to Lavinia while Sora stood next to Fuji. Fuji brought his eyes on Sora's cushion, fixing his eyes on the engagement ring with no expression in his eyes. They were lifeless. He didn't do anything to take the ring. Fuji-dono became impatient.

"Syuusuke," Fuji-dono called him back to his senses. Fuji bit his lips. Slowly, he raised his hand to detach the ribbon and take the ring on Sora's cushion. Next, he took Lavinia's left hand in his. Lavinia stiffened and her hand was trembling, but Fuji saw nothing. He was too caught up in his own emotions.

_'Ryoma_…_'_ he thought, his heart aching. Fuji positioned the ring in front of Lavinia's ring finger and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see anything of what he was going to do.

_'Ryoma, I'm sorry!'_ Fuji wanted to cry. With his shaking hand, he started to slide the ring onto Lavinia's finger.

* * *

But, to everyone surprise, as soon as the ring touched Lavinia's finger, Lavinia rudely retreated her hand from Fuji's hand.

"No! I can't!" Lavinia yelled, trembling.

Immediately, many shocked "Oh!" could be hear in the room.

"Mi-Miyabi…?" Lavinia's parents stuttered.

"Lavinia!!!" Fuji-dono exclaimed, scandalized, but Lavinia ignored her. Lavinia turned her head away and closed her eyes.

"I-I can't…" Lavinia repeated, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What?" All the guests in the room, including Fuji-dono gasped.

"What is happening?"

"Why did she…?"

"How come…?"

The guests started to whisper among them, totally shocked. But no one was more shocked than Fuji-dono. She was furious.

"Lavinia!" Fuji-dono reprimanded harshly. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded.

"I-I can't…" Lavinia muttered again. She covered her face with her hands and desperately cried.

"Lavinia-san…" Fuji murmured, dumbfounded. He too was shocked. He didn't expect Lavinia to react like this.

"Syuusuke, I'm sorry… I cannot continue to do this…" Lavinia sobbed out.

"Lavinia-san…" Fuji whispered, feeling a little bit of pity for the poor girl in front of him.

"Mi-Miyabi…?!" Lavinia's father stuttered.

"Miyabi…" Lavinia's mother came to her little girl to talk to her.

_"Père, mère, je ne peux pas faire cela_…_"_ Lavinia talked to her parent, _"Pardonnez-moi, mais je ne peux pas."_ (Translation: Father, mother, I cannot do this. Forgive me, but I cannot.)

". . ." Laviniva's parents didn't say anything. They couldn't say anything. They clearly saw that their daughter was suffering and that made them sad. They also felt guilty because it was because of them that their little girl was suffering.

"Lavinia, explain yourself to me!" Fuji-dono ordered, but Lavinia ignored Fuji-dono again. Instead, Lavinia turned to face Fuji's parents to answer Fuji-dono's demand. Lavinia felt that it was to Fuji's parents and to Fuji that she owed an explanation. She didn't feel that she owed anything to Fuji-dono.

"Fuji-fusai, I'm sorry, but I cannot marry your son," Lavinia addressed to Fuji's parents, "Syuusuke is a wonderful young man and I know that he will make a marvelous husband and he will make the one he will marry happy until his death. But I cannot marry him." Fuji's parents patiently listened to Lavinia, more particularly Fuji's mother. "I respect you too much to lie to you," Lavinia continued, "I like Syuusuke, but not enough to be his wife. If I marry him with while knowing this, it is worst than betraying him and your family. I don't want to marry Syuusuke because I don't want to chain him all his life to me when I know that I cannot make him happy. That's the reason why I cannot marry him," Lavinia finished.

Fuji's mother camly talked to Lavinia, not detaching her eyes from the young Countess.

"And what do you mean by this, Lavinia-san?" Fuji's mother asked. Lavinia bit her lips and bent down her head.

"I…" Lavinia hesitated. "I already love someone…" she whispered. However, it was loud enough for the the people standing near the stage to heard her.

"Oh!" a guest in front exclaimed in shock.

"What? What did she say? I didn't hear!"

"She said that she already loves someone else."

"What!? For real?"

"Who? Who is it?"

The noisy whispers of the guests concerning the last turn of the event spread thoughout the the room. Meanwhile, the shock of Lavinia's words still lingered among the main characters of the event.

"Miyabi!" Lavinia's parents and Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror, Fuji-dono more scandalously than Lavinia's parents.

Syuusuke opened his eyes wide to look at Lavinia. He never noticed that Lavinia could have someone in her heart. It was also true that he never took the time to make a better acquaintance of her, to ask for her opinion of this forced engagement.

". . ." Fuji's mother still hadn't say anything. She kept staring at Lavinia. Syuusuke's mother saw Lavinia's secret glance at someone in the lounge. She followed Lavinia's eyes to see a young man around twenty with green-black hair and golden-like eyes among the guests. It was Ryoga.

Ryoga, who came with Yagyuu, also stared at Lavinia. His eyes and Lavinia's crossed and met each other in the air.

_'Miyabi_…_'_ Ryoga thought.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Miyabi loves Ryoga.

Post on Saturday December 26, 2009.


	69. Yuuji Ryuu

Previously…

Fuji's mother calmly talked to Lavinia, not detaching her eyes from the young Countess.

"And what do you mean by this, Lavinia-san?" Fuji's mother asked. Lavinia bit her lips and bent her head down.

"I…" Lavinia hesitated. "I already love someone…" she whispered.

"Miyabi!" Lavinia's parents and Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror, Fuji-dono more scandalously than Lavinia's parents.

". . ." Fuji's mother still hadn't said anything. She kept staring at Lavinia. Seeing Lavinia secretly glance at someone in the lounge, Fuji's mother followed Lavinia's eyes to see a young man around twenty with green black hair and golden-like eyes among the guests. It was Ryoga.

Ryoga, who came with Yagyuu, also stared at Lavinia. His eyes and Lavinia's cross in the air.

_'Miyabi_…_'_ Ryoga thought.

* * *

Flashback

Ryoga turned on his heels and walked away to leave Lavinia crying alone.

Aloof.

"Ryoga-san!" Lavinia yelled. Ryoga stopped.

He turned around to see Lavinia running to him. Lavinia raised her right hand, anger burning in her teary gaze. And then,

_SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!_

The echo of Lavinia's slap resounded throughout the park. Ryoga felt the anger in her soul burning on his left cheek.

Before he could gather his wits, Ryoga felt Lavinia's arms close around his neck as she pressed her lips against his. Ryoga didn't register anything that was happening. He didn't understand anything which was occurring. Little by little, he became aware of Lavinia's warm tears wetting his skin and her soft lips fervently pressing against his. After a long moment, Lavinia detached herself from him. She looked up at him with tender eyes through her tears.

"Ryoga," she tenderly whispered his name, "I love you…" she finished with a trembling voice, tears still running down her cheeks.

At first, Ryoga didn't made a move to push Lavinia away. He was still too shocked to act or to think properly. He certainly hadn't seen that one coming. A kiss after a (very painful) slap on the face. It never occurred to Ryoga that Lavinia could have feelings for him. But it was true that he had never paid too much attention to her because he was worried for Ryoma. From time to time, he was nice to her, like that time that when Ryoma and he had brought her downtown. Like Ryoma, Ryoga never saw Lavinia only as the Countess she was, but treated her like a normal person. Ryoga wasn't blinded by her title or her status. That was the reason why Lavinia fell for him.

End flashback

* * *

Ryoga watched Lavinia - shocked/impressed by her behaviour - with what seemed to be admiration for standing against Fuji-dono to defend her own belief instead of bending down her head to Fuji-dono's domination.

"Fuji-fusai, obaa-sama," Lavinia talked to Fuji's parents and to Fuji-dono, "I cannot marry Syuusuke when my heart already belongs to someone else."

Inadvertently, Lavinia slipped another glance at Ryoga. Sadly this time, Fuji-dono saw it. Fuji-dono became mad.

"You!" Fuji-dono threw at Ryoga, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention to the young man standing next to Yagyuu Hiroshi. Fuji-dono examined Ryoga up and down. "Green black hair and strange eye color with disrespectful glance, exactly like that unrefined Echizen-girl. You must be her brother. Just like your sister, you are an ill-mannered young man who goes around breaking people's engagement and stealing their promises. Today, young people no longer know how to respect their elders. And you and your sister are the worst representatives!" Ryoga didn't falter under Fuji-dono unfair words. While she spatted her poison at him, he kept staring directly at her, not blinking once.

"What kind of parents are your mother and your father to raise so badly their children?" Fuji-dono continued. Alas, this time, Fuji-dono's last words snapped Ryoga's thin line of patience.

"Fuji-dono, it's been more than ten years since I last saw you, and you are still an old wicked witch!" Ryoga stated, not scared at all.

"Oh!" Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror. Many guests in the room did the same as her. "How dare you, you impolite young man!"

"Respect is something one gains. It is not granted. If you treat someone with disrespect, than don't be surprised that the same thing happens to you. You were the first one who was disrespectful towards me. I'm just returning you your due, Fuji-dono," Ryoga said. "I can accept any insult or pesky comments you spit out at me, but I will not stand by quietly as you badmouth my parents and my little sister."

The guests in the room, who were first shocked by Ryoga's impudence at confronting Fuji-dono, were now in awe by him. Rare were the people who would stand in front of Fuji-dono without faltering or stepping back. Ryoga was among these rare people. Fuji-dono didn't take it well.

"And what are you doing here?" Fuji-dono demanded. "You were not invited to this celebration! I would never allow dishonorable people like your sister or you here!"

Yagyuu stepped in, deciding it was his time to interfere.

"Fuji-dono," Yagyuu interrupted in a very calm tone (though he was raging inside because of Fuji-dono), "I think I didn't have the chance to present him to you yet. This is my cousin, who was lost many years ago. I finally found him and he is back in my family. He is now the head of his father's corporation, Yuuji Ryuu."

"Yuuji?" someone among the guests exclaimed. Next, all the guests started to talk at the same time with the person next to them.

"Yuuji… Yuuji… The name sound familiar to me…"

"Me too. I'm sure I've heard this name before, but I don't remember where."

"That young man with glasses, Yagyuu Hiroshi, he said that this Yuuji Ryuu was his cousin."

"Ah! I remember! I once met the Yuuji family many years ago. I believe it was Yuuji Kuchiki. That time, I was presented to him and to his wife."

"Now, I remember too. I believe his wife was name Nadeshiko. She was a model."

"Yes, I remember now. I think that they also have a child, a son I think. Their child was still a little boy when I met them."

"But didn't the whole family die in a car crash in America?"

"Indeed, it was true. However, the body of their son was never found."

"The police couldn't tell if the son was dead or still alive."

"But it looks like he was still alive."

The guests stopped talking to look at the interaction between Fuji-dono and Yuuji Ryuu.

"Yuuji Ryuu?" Fuji-dono frowned, not believing Yagyuu's words. "I remember very well that all of Yuuji Kuchiki's family died in a car crash. How can it be that another Yuuji appeared again?"

"Indeed, it was said that my cousin, his wife and their son died in a car accident in America," Yagyuu confirmed. "However, the police never found the body of my cousin. On my grandfather's death wish, I searched for Ryuu around the world. After ten years of research, my cousin here returned back to Japan. That was how I found him."

Fuji-dono didn't reply. She continued to stare doubtfully at Ryoga. Ryoga rudely stared at her back.

"Certainly, kaa-san and oyajii are not fortunate as you are, Fuji-dono," Ryoga said, "but I think them to be a thousand times more honorable than you are! Kaa-san and oyajii knew very well that they will get themselves in a lot of troubles if they took me with them after the death of my parents. Yet, they didn't back off. It's all thanks to them that I am still alive today. If they just sent me back to Japan, then I would have certainly been killed. Though kaa-san and oyajii knew otou-sama and okaa-sama for only a short time, it wasn't a reason for them to abandon me when I was left alone. You, Fuji-dono, can you do something like they did? Can you take the child of a couple you knew only a couple of months and who died right after into your house? Can you keep that child, raise him like your own and provide him everything the child needs and desires without feeling repulsion? Can you do something like loving the child of a couple of strangers, who aren't your blood relatives? Kaa-san and oyajii did all that, that's why I believe them more honorable than you are! Oyajii and kaa-san may be low in your opinion because of their very common social situation, but they certainly have more humanity in them then you have, Fuji-dono! As for my sister, what did you really know about her before badmouthing her? Have you ever take your time to get to know her before making your opinion about her? But if I remember correctly, you are the kind of person who judge a person before knowing or meeting said person. That was one of the things I hate the most about you, Fuji-dono." With every word Ryoga spoke, Fuji-dono's face drained more and more of their color until she was as white as a ghost. But, soon, the anger at being talked to in such an inadmissible way brought blood back to Fuji-dono's face, making her feature tainted in a red color of rage.

"You judge a person on your own personal criteria through your tight mind," Ryoga continued. "You never know how to look at other people around you. Only your opinion is important. You believe everything you do and decide are the right things to do, and anything against your point of view are wrong. You decide of other people's life without taking into consideration their feelings. Have you ever ask your grandson's opinion before throwing him in this engagement? Did you even seek to know what he thinks about this wrecked union before imposing your selfish decision on him? And most important of all, _can't you see that your grandson is suffering because of your actions?_" Ryoga finished in rage.

"Wh-what…?" Fuji-dono stuttered, inadvertently stepping back a step. She watched Ryoga with her eyes wide open, her lips trembling. Ryoga succeeded in making her feel unsure about herself. Ryoga's words hit something hidden inside her, a weak spot who's existance she wasn't aware of. Somewhere in a hidden closet of her mind, a tiny tiny little voice whispered to her that this young man, who permitted himself to be so impudent to her, might have a point. However, Fuji-dono refused to think that she could have make a mistake and shut the voice down. Ryoga saw it and he became furious at her thick headed stubbornness and the tightness of her mind.

"_TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT HIM NOW, DAMN IT!_" Ryoga yelled at Fuji-dono.

Taken back by Ryoga's burst, Fuji-dono slowly turned her head to where her grandson stood with his son and her daughter-in-law. She took her time to look at Syuusuke, to _carefully_ look at him, for the first time since she returned to Japan. First surprise, her grandson's eyes were opened, but they were lifeless. And, for the first time, she saw his broken soul through his painful eyes.

_'Syuu… Syuusuke…? Wh-what happen to him?' _Fuji-dono wondered. She searched deeper for an answer in his blue orbs. But her grandson refused to meet her eyes. Syuusuke turned his head away from her, not saying a word. Fuji-dono's face drained off color. Her grandson, the one she loved the most - the one who had always made her joyful and proud - he was looking away from her. Fuji-dono caught a slight movement from his hands. She brought her eyes down to see his fists closed, their knuckles white. He was fighting to not to tremble, but he couldn't keep his closed fists from shake. Fuji-dono's heart painfully throbbed. It was aching.

_'H-how…? Wh-what did I do wrong…?'_

On the ceiling of the room, the ghost of a woman was watching everything. She watched, to be more specific, Syuusuke, Miyabi and Ryoga.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Miyabi loves Ryoga and Yuuji Ryuu is back! So, what do you think about this chapter? More interesting to know for me, what do you think about Ryoga? I really didn't see him becoming like this. I really like how Ryoga evolved in the story. You probably don't understand what I mean, but something, the evolution of the characters differed greatly from how I set them at the beginning. But well, I'm not unhappy of how they became in their own way to grow in the story.

And yes, I know. I still didn't answer the (many, many, many millions) questions about the ghost. It will be for an other time.

Post in Saturday January 2, 2010.


	70. When Fate Changed People's Life

A/N: I'm very sorry for the very long waiting time. I couldn't write anything. My idea were so mess up that I couldn't see the end of the tunnel. I changed this chapter over and over because it was really bad. But finally, here it is for you.

Enjoy!

* * *

Previously…

"Fuji-dono," Yagyuu said in a very calm tone (though he was raging inside because of Fuji-dono), "I think I didn't have the chance to present him to you, yet. This is my cousin, who was lost many years ago. I finally found him and he is back in my family. He is now the head of his father's corporation, Yuuji Ryuu."

"You judge a person on your own personal criteria through your tight mind," Ryoga continued. "Have you ever ask your grandson's opinion before throwing him in this engagement? Have you even considered his feelings before imposing him your selfish decision? And most important of all, can't you see that your grandson is suffering because of your doing?" Ryoga finished in rage.

"Wh-what…?" Fuji-dono stuttered, her lips trembling, unsure of her self.

"_TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT HIM NOW, DAMN IT!_" Ryoga yelled to Fuji-dono.

Taken back by Ryoga's burst, Fuji-dono slowly turned her head to where her grandson stood with her son and his wife. She took her time to look at him, to _carefully_ look at him for the first time since she returned to Japan. First surprise, her grandson's eyes were opened, but they were lifeless. And she saw his hurt soul through his painful eyes.

_'Syuu… Syuusuke…? Wh-what happen to him?' _Fuji-dono wondered, a pain biting her heart. _'H-how did it turn out like this? Wh-what did I do wrong?'_

* * *

Ryoma was walking alone in the park, totally depressed. Ryoga and her parents left for some unknown business. Usually, she would be happy to be alone because she was free. But today, she felt lonely. Today, she would wish to have someone beside her…

_'Like Fuji-senpai for example…'_

Ryoma became more sad that she was. She felt her heart constricting, making it hard for her to breath.

_'By now, he must be… with Miyabi-senpai…'_

Ryoma shut her eyes, imprisoning the tears which were menacing to escape. Today, she would wish to have someone beside her, but she was more than happy to be left alone. Because no one would see her in pain.

_'Fuji-senpai… Miyabi-senpai…'_

"Meow…" Karupin meowed, stoop up in her arms to lick off her tears. Ryoma snapped her eyes open when she felt the cat's warm tongue against her cheek.

"Karupin…" Ryoma muttered.

"Meow…" Karupin meowed again, trying to comfort her, looking at her with his worried blue eyes.

"You're worried for me?"

"Meow…" Karupin nodded. Ryoma poorly smiled.

_'That's right, I'm not alone. He's always there for me.'_

"Thank you…" She hugged him, burying her face in his fur.

"Meow…"

The mistress and the cat shared a moment of comforting silence.

* * *

Suddenly, someone said her name.

"Echizen… Ryoma?" a woman with a soft voice asked.

Ryoma turned around to see a woman with close eyes standing in front of her. The woman was around her thirty. She was elegantly dressed in a light purple dress. Her chestnut hair were done in a low bun on her neck. She was standing in front of Ryoma with her hand crossed on her skirt, her purse in her hands.

"Are you Echizen Ryoma?" the woman asked nicely again. Ryoma blushed. She was confused of her lack of manners. Someone just asked her her name and she stood there, not answering. Rinko would scowled her.

"Err, yes. It's me…" Ryoma said, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The woman didn't answer. She only smiled a little bit.

_'It's her,'_ the woman thought. Then, slowly, very slowly, the woman lift up her lids to reveal striking cerulean orbs. Ryoma's eyes widen, shocked.

_'Her eyes are like Fuji-senpai's…'_

Unconsciously, Ryoma straighted up in front of the woman, mesmerized by the blue eyes. She wasn't even aware that she reacted exactly like she did when she met with her tensai senpai's eyes. Ryoma raised her head to meet eye-to-eye with the woman. The eyes of the stranger hypnotized her. Ryoma couldn't dart her eyes away from the cerulean orbs. But even if she could, she wouldn't. There was something which was telling Ryoma not to break eye contact with this stranger. Thus, Ryoma fixed the woman in the eyes without feeling any fear or uneasiness. For a very long time, the two of them didn't make a move nor a sound. It was as the world around them stopped running, the time freezing in the space.

"Ryoma!" someone called, bringing Ryoma back to her senses. Ryoma turned around to see Nanako waving at her. "Ryoma, it's lunch time!"

"Hai, I'm coming," Ryoma answered back. She turned back to the woman. "Excuse-me, I must… Eeh?" Ryoma looked right to left. The woman was no longer there. Ryoma was alone. "Where did she…?"

"Ryoma!" Nanako called again. Ryoma turned on her feet to Nanako, glanced a last time behind her. The woman was really nowhere to be seen.

"Meow!" Karupin meowed. He was getting hungry.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Ryoma said and ran to Nanako.

* * *

No far from there, a Roll Royce car was waiting. Seeing the mistress coming back, the driver opened the door of the car. The woman stepped in and the driver closed the door. A man in his forties was waiting inside. The woman sat next to him. Not wanting to talk yet, the woman reflected in silence over her encounter with the young black green hair girl.

"Do you know, anata (1)," the woman said to her husband. "I just met that Echizen Ryoma girl."

"Humm, how was it?" her husband, Sennosuke, turned to her and responded, smiling pleasantly. The woman slowly smiled.

"She looks directly in my eyes," Seri said.

"Ooooooh! Impressive!" Sennosuke exclaimed. Rare were people who could look directly in his wife's eyes. The number of people who could do it could only be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet, this young girl Echizen Ryoma did it at the first meeting. "She must not be any common girl then, this Echizen Ryoma," Sennosuke said, smiling widely.

"Yes," Seri said again, her smile still lingering on her lips. She tilted her head, tapping with the tip of her finger on her cheek. "Now, I understand why Syuusuke chooses her."

"You must know it," her husband said in a kind voice. "If our son choose someone, then this person must possesses something exceptional."

"I know," Seri replied. "But I just wanted to see her with my own eyes."

Sennosuke smiled, a kind expression in his eyes.

"And are you satisfied with your future daughter-in-law?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders. Seri raised a questioning eyebrow, looking at him.

"How can you be so sure she will be my future daughter-in-law?" she asked, quite amused. Her husband chuckled.

"After all, Syuusuke is my son. There are things that only I, his father, know," Sennosuke said. He paused, recalling the memory of his past. "I wasn't anywhere near my elder brothers, so I have always did everything Mother wanted from me to make her happy. Except that one time. That one time I refused to obey to her and marry the fiancée she chose for me." He looked in his wife's eyes. "And I never regret disobeying her."

His wife chuckled.

"Syuusuke likely inherited it from me," Sennosuke continued, "Once his heart choose someone, it would be the only choice. And forever. However, unlike me, Syuusuke will not disobeyed Mother nor disappointed her. This child's heart is too soft and too gentle for his own good. And sadly, he inherited your insight. Syuusuke is more receptive to people feelings and emotions compare to the average of people. He must have feel that Mother was disappointed in me and that she wanted to put her hope into her grandchildren. However, Syuusuke didn't wanted Yuuta to be involved. He knew very well that Yuuta will not be able to survive for a long time if he was controlled by Mother. That was why he offered himself in sacrifice. He rather suffer all his life alone than seeing Yuuta suffering. And because of this contract between him and Mother, I cannot interfere. And I am condemned to watch my son dying slowly, little by little. In silence.

Sennosuke closed his eyes, pausing momentary.

"The only hope I have was someone who could support him will appear in his life. Someone who could give him strength and who accepted to walk along his side, even when the path is harsh and scattered with rocks. Someone who could made him feel hope and happiness again, even when everything is black for him. I have no doubt that Lavinia-san would support him the best she could and would not left him alone on the road, but she won't be able to give him comfort and strength when he will need them. Then, I learn from Shindou-san about Echizen Ryoma."

"Shindou-san called her 'Echizen-hime-sama'," Seri said. "That was enough to tell how much Shindou-san likes her."

Sennosuke nodded.

"Shindou-san never called anyone 'hime' before. Not even Lavinia-san," Sennosuke said. "For Syuusuke, I wish everything for Echizen Ryoma to become our future daughter-in-law, wherever mother like it or not." Seri nodded, agreeing. "She is who Syuusuke needs to live again. Thus, are you satisfied with Syuusuke's choice?" Seri smiled.

"Very," she said. "She passes the only test I wanted Syuusuke's future wife to succeed. She has a strong will, a very strong will. She will not be afraid to stand against mother to protect Syuusuke." Seri looked up to the ceiling of the car. "At first, I was a little bit reluctant because of her lack of background. Lavinia would have make a very good daughter-in-law. But the strength of Echizen Ryoma's will possesses a very high value, a very high value. She will be a good support for Syuusuke, and for the future of our family," Syuusuke's mother said. She stopped a moment. "This will be the hardest part to convince Mother, her background."

Sennosuke chuckled.

"I believe that her brother, Yuuji Ryuu, a very fine young man I must add, will not leave it like this," he said. "He will certainly do something about it."

"How can you be so sure?" Seri asked, looking questionably at him. Sennosuke chuckled again.

"Something tells me so," he only said.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the downtown of Tokyo, in the highest floor of a glass building, in a private meeting room.

Ryoga scribbled his signature on two papers. Then, he pushed the papers in front of Rinko and gave her his pen. Rinko apposed her signatures next to Ryoga's. Then, she too pushed the papers to the person next to her, Nanjirou. Nanjirou did the same as Ryoga and Rinko. When Nanjirou finished, he pushed the papers to the person in front of him, Yagyuu Hiroshi, their testimony. When Yagyuu wrote his signature, he gave the papers back to the Yuuji family's lawyer, Takeaki Komei. Takeaki took the papers and examined the signatures. Satisfied, he smiled.

"It's perfect," Takeaki said. He took the pen and apposed the last signature required, his one. "Yuuji Ryuu-sama, welcome back. And also, Echizen Ryoma is now your ward with her parents' consent. She is conferred the name of Yuuji, as Echizen-Yuuji Ryoma, and all the rights of a member of the Yuuji family."

Ryoga nodded, very aware he was, from this moment, a Yuuji and a warden for his adopted little sister. Rinko and Nanjirou smiled to him, feeling very proud about the young adult he became. And Yagyuu send a thought about his grandfather.

_'Grandfather, I finally fulfilled my promise to you. Please, rest in peace from now.' _Yagyuu had the impression he heard his grandfather thanking him. He suddenly felt very serene with himself. He was happy. He looked at Ryoga. Ryoga was facing the window, looking the sky outside.

_'I'm back,'_ was Ryoga's only thinking.

Upon the ceiling floated the ghost of a woman. She was there from the beginning of the meeting. This time, she was smiling.

_'It's done. My role on Earth is now finished.'_

She closed her eyes and glowed. And she disappeared.

* * *

1) anata: literally "you", but also used between spouses to mean "dear" or "darling".

A/N: Yes, again, I didn't answer the question about the ghost. It seemed that she rose a lot of curiosity even though she was not a big character. Before unveiling the identity of the ghost, I am curious about your guessing. Who do you think the ghost is? How many of you will get the right answer? In the story, I scattered here and there three hints about her identity. I'm very curious to heard your hypotheses. So please, tell me your guess!

Post on Saturday, January 16.


	71. Misfortune Hit Where It Desires

A/N: I have been aware that there are people who borrowed ideas from my stories to write their own. I don't mind it at all and I'm quite happy that my stories inspired you to create your own. At the same time, I wish that you tell me or send me a notice (private message or in a review of the story you borrowed something) and that you give me my credits. When I borrowed ideas from different writers to do my own stories, I send them a notice of what I did and give their credits. They worked hard to come up with their stories and they deserved to be respected for it. I wish that you do the same thing for me. I preferred to learn it from you rather then of finding myself stumbling on your stories. Or, in other case, from other people telling me. Thank you for understanding.

And now, chapter 71 of Seiyou Academy for you. By the way, it hasn't been beta-ed yet. Please, forgive-me for the mistakes you will find.

Enjoy!

* * *

It was raining. It was chilly. But Fuji-dono thought nothing of the bad weather. She couldn't bring herself to care about it. Like a spiritless corpse, she walked alone on the street.

_'How did it happen like this?' _she wondered.

She didn't understand why everything turn out completely different from what she had expected. She remembered the conversation she had with her son and her daughter-in-law.

* * *

Flashback

"What!" Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror. "You want to cancel the engagement between Syuusuke and Lavinia?"

"Yes, Mother," Seri said, nodding. Seri sat in front of Fuji-dono in the living room of the Fuji house, her hands neatly crossed on her lap. Sennosuke stood next to her behind her arm chair.

"It is out of the question!" Fuji-dono vehemently protested. "I will not brake their engagement!" The matriarch of the family stubbornly looked away, refusing to believe that her daughter-in-law was confronting her.

Seri didn't reply. She waited for Fuji-dono to continue.

"What happened during the engagement party was unexpected, but I will not comply. Syuusuke will marry Lavinia. That is my final decision."

Seri still didn't respond.

"I'm doing this for him and for the happiness of his future," Fuji-dono explained. "Right now, he might not see it, but he will understand later. He knows that everything I do is for the family and he supports me."

It was here that Seri decided to interrupt.

"Mother," Seri spoke, "You have always work so hard for us. Everything you've done has always solely been for our family. I have never doubt any of your decisions. I have always supported you because I know how much, as a mother, you love your children and grandchildren." Then, very very slowly, Seri raised her head, and showed Fuji-dono her cerulean eyes. "Mother," Seri continued to speak, "I never went against any of your decisions before. However, this time, being a mother myself, I will not allow my son to suffer for the rest of his life just because he was forced to marry a person he knew he could never find happiness with." Seri finished her speech with a sharp glare at Fuji-dono to puncture her words.

Inadvertently, Fuji-dono's body froze. This was the second time in her life that she met her daughter-in-law's eyes. The first time was when she had no choice but accepting Sennosuke's choice of spouse to save his life. Fuji-dono had forgotten how powerful her daughter-in-law's glance could be. If Fuji-dono was the queen of the Fuji house, her daughter-in-law possessed the eyes of an empress. A queen was underneath an empress. And Fuji-dono had the very distinctive impression that her will was, against her desire, bending down in front of her daughter-in-law. Seri never raised her voice against Fuji-dono before. It was a great shock for the old lady. Fuji-dono knew she lost the battle against her daughter-in-law. She fought to stay unaffected, but her hands were trembling and her attempts to stop failed. Sennosuke, seeing his mother starting trembling, decided to interfere between the two women.

"Mother, have you notice something?" Sennosuke asked Fuji-dono. Upon hearing his voice, Fuji-dono's hands began to tremble less. Her son's voice gave her back some of her strength.

"Wha-what is it, Sennosuke?" Fuji-dono stuttered.

"The staff already sees Ryoma-chan as their future mistress," Sennosuke said.

"What?" Fuji-dono's head jerked up to look at him. Her self-control was back. And she clearly heard Sennosuke called the object of their conversation 'Ryoma-chan'. He too already saw the green-black hair girl as his future daughter-in-law. And he liked her. "What do you mean?" Fuji-dono snapped out, demanding an explanation.

"They called her 'Echizen-hime-sama'," Sennosuke calmly responded.

"What? How come? Who does it? Why? When did they start it?"

"It was Shindou-san," Sennosuke answered again. "Shindou-san gave the title of 'hime' to Echizen Ryoma and the staff followed his example."

(A/N: If you have forgot about Shindou, please see over again the chapter 25, "Summer vacations: Rescue the Kidnappers".)

". . ." Fuji-dono was speechless. Fuji-dono knew the old butler. Shindou-san was an excellent butler coming from a long line of butler family, who served the Fuji family for decades. His judgments about people were never wrong and very few succeeded in winning his approval. Yet, this Echizen Ryoma…

"You know it too, Mother," Sennosuke said, "Shindou-san never granted such a honor to anyone. Not even to Lavinia-san."

". . ." Fuji-dono was beat up inside. She could hardly accept her daughter-in-law's words. She could easily set aside her son's opinion. But she couldn't ignore Shindou-san's judgement. Fuji-dono really lost the battle.

"Mother," Sennosuke spoke in a gentle voice, "Syuusuke might still be very young, but he is even more mature than an adult. His perception is one of the best and he rarely makes any mistakes. He has always lived up to your expectation because of his promise to you. For Yuuta, he took an overwhelming burden onto his shoulders and is no longer the child he used to be. Mother, I believe it is time for you to free him from his promise to you and let him do what he wants. Under your guidance over the years, he learned how to confront obstacles with intelligence and skill. He will still need your guidance, but you should also believe in him. Mother, you must believe in Syuusuke's heart and choice."

End flashback

* * *

_'Mother, you must believe in Syuusuke's heart and choice.'_ Sennosuke's words echoed in Fuji-dono head.

It simply meant that Sennosuke, too, disagreed with her decision to marry Syuusuke with Lavinia.

_'It was the second time that Sennosuke disobeyed to me…'_

Fuji-dono felt her heart clenching painfully in her chest. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, she was unable to see what was happening around her. She walked straight into the middle of the street and didn't see the car rushing towards her.

"FUJI-DONOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" someone shouted her name.

Fuji-dono snapped back to reality just in time to see the speeding car dangerously close to her. Both she and the driver realized it was too late to stop the car to avoid the collision.

_SCREEEEEEEEEETCH! THUUUUD!_

The impact made Fuji-dono fly some meters away onto the walkway. But she was still alive. And perfectly safe. Many people stopped to watch the accident, horror written on their face. The driver stepped out of his car to see a body lying on the ground. Hurriedly, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed 1-1-9. (A/N: In Japan, 1-1-9 is the equivalent of the emergency number 9-1-1 in North America.)

A man helped Fuji-dono to stand up and leaned her against a electric post. He told her not to move until the paramedics arrived so they could check if she was hurt in anyway. Fuji-dono refused to listen to him. She wanted to see who it was that had saved her. Trembling, Fuji-dono stood up and walked towards the car which had almost hit her some minutes ago. Fuji-dono saw the body of a young person lying on the cement. She made three more steps toward the immobile body. This time, she could see it was a girl, more precisely a teenager. One more step… And Fuji-dono gasped, her hands covering her mouth. She recognized her rescuer.

_'It's…'_

* * *

Meanwhile, at various places around Tokyo.

At the Echizen residence, Nanako was putting the dishes in the drawer when she dropped Ryoma's cup. The cup snapped into two pieces. Karupin flew down the stair and furiously yowled around the house. It was the same as when Ryoma was sick, but worse. Nanako, with trembling hands, pick up the two broken pieces of Ryoma's cup of tea, shivering.

In her office, Rinko dropped her pen and suddenly felt very cold. She closed her arms around her, trembling nervously. She looked at the picture on her desk, the one of her husband and her two children. The glass of the frame had broken over Ryoma's picture.

Back in the temple and downtown, Nanjirou and Ryoga stopped what they were doing, feeling electricity running up their spine. It was a bad premonition for them.

.

At the tennis court, Yukimura felt a sting shooting through him. He clutched at his head with both hands, a painful grimace on his face.

"Yukimura!" Sanada shouted worriedly.

Kirihara froze in the middle of his game and dropped his racket. Everybody saw his strings snap. He had just changed them yesterday.

"Kirihara, what happened?" Marui asked. Kirihara didn't answer. He was shivering, his fingers twitching madly.

"Bu-buchou…" Kirihara stuttered, his green orbs trembling in his eyes.

"Eiji!" Ooishi shouted when he saw Kikumaru crouched over. Kikumaru was violently trembling. His eyes were the same as Kirihara's.

Jirou jerked up from his nap. He worriedly bit his lips, his eyebrows fused together.

.

At the Fuji house, Syuusuke felt a sharp pain piercing his heart. He dropped to his knees and clutched at his chest with his hands.

At the Atobe place, Touga and Sora burst into tears out of the blue. Their parents didn't understand why.

.

All of them had the same thoughts:

_'Something bad happened.'_

* * *

Back to the accident scene.

Fuji-dono gasped in horror when she saw the young body lying on the cement. A pool of red was rapidly expanding around the girl's head. Fuji-dono recognized her rescuer.

_'Echizen Ryoma!'_

* * *

A/N: The idea of the accident was provided by Ms. Ramdoness (Thank you!). I found it very good, so I decided to use it. I just cooked it with different ingredients and with my own sauce. The second part will be for next time.

Post on Tuesday January 12, 2010. Beta-ed on Monday February 8.


	72. Coming back to you

A/N: I have no excuse to why I didn't update for a month. I just simply didn't want to write anything. It wasn't an author block because I know what happen after the accident. It was just that I didn't want to write. I'm sorry for making feel impatient and bored for waiting so long, but I really needed to take off from writing for a certain time to clear my mind. But here I'm back again.

Before the new chapter, some answers to the questions left in the reviews. There are people who were wondering how long do I plan to write this story. The story is pulling to its end. I cannot exactly tell how many chapters are left, but I won't cross over the limit of 80 (maybe even under 80). At the beginning, I didn't plan it to be so long, but one can never know what might popped up in the head while writing. Even myself I'm surprised to see what kind of ideas suddenly decided to show up in the middle of the way. But rest assure, 80 is the limit I impose myself. That's it.

And now chapter 72 for you. Enjoy!

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The machine connected to Ryoma steadily continued its rhythmic beating.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Rinko raised her hand and pushed Ryoma's bang aside, caressing Ryoma's temple.

_'Ryoma.'_

Rinko could feel the warmth emitted by Ryoma's body from where her fingers connected with her daughters forehead. Ryoma's body was still functioning, but her mind… A tear rolled down Rinko's cheek. Aomori-sensei, Ryoma's doctor, couldn't tell if Ryoma would even wake up from her coma, let alone contemplate _when _she would wake up. Rinko felt heart clench in a dreadful pain.

* * *

Flashback

Back in Aormori-sensei's office, Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoga met with Ryoma's doctor to learn about her condition.

"I will tell you the truth," Aomori-sensei said. "If she doesn't wake up within the next seven days, I fear that she will never wake up again…"

End flashback

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_'My little angel…' _Rinko caressed her daughter's forehead. _'Wake up…'_

Tonight was Ryoma's last chance to wake up. Everyday, Rinko would visit Ryoma until someone told her it was time to leave. Everyday, she grew more and more desperate, clinging stubbornly to the hope of seeing her little angel wake up. Yet, even still, she found herself missing the lively color of her daughter's eyes.

"Rinko…" Nanjirou said, putting a hand on Rinko's shoulder.

". . . " Rinko bit her lips. With a last caress on Ryoma's forehead, Rinko stood up and left with Nanjirou. Ryoga, who had been leaning against a wall, moved to open the door for his parents. Before they left Ryoma's room, they glanced at the baby of the family one last time.

_'Wake up, Chibisuke/bishoujo/Ryoma.'_

* * *

Near midnight.

Everyone was asleep. In the next room, Rinko, Nanjirou and Ryoga had succumbed to sleep, unable to resist under the pressure of their stress and exhaustion. They had wanted to stay awake to be with Ryoma, but their bodies wouldn't allow them to do so, shutting down all daily functions.

In Ryoma's room, aside from the consistent, monitoring beeps, everything was quiet. After a moment, something disturbed the stillness of the room.

_Clip_.

Ryoma's door knot turned. Silently, the door opened to reveal a svelte silhouette. Without making a noise, Syuusuke stepped inside and walked to Ryoma's bed. He stopped next to her bed, watching her. Ryoma's chest rose up and down, following the guidance of the machine connected to her. Syuusuke watched her, imprinting the smallest detail of her features in his head. Then, he sat on the chair next to Ryoma's bed. He took her left hand and brought it to his mouth.

"Ryoma…" he called her, kissing the inside of her palm, just like he had every other time he had visited. And he began to talk to her silent form.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, talking to her even though she had never given him any sign that she had heard him. Eventually, tiredness won over him. Just before he completely lost to sleep, he called out to her again.

"Ryoma, come back to me…"

* * *

Up. Black.

Down. Black.

Right. Black.

Left. Black.

In front. Just as black.

Behind… What color do you think it was?

Darkness surrounded her, covered only by a foggy mist of white. Ryoma looked at her surroundings. This place was strange. She couldn't see anything aside the mist.

"What is this place?" Ryoma asked. Silence answered to her.

Ryoma looked around once more to find a hint of anything that might give her an answer, but there was absolutely nothing. She walked forward, constantly shifting her gaze from left to right and back. Then, in front of Ryoma, a light shone brightly. Inside the light, Ryoma saw a garden appear. Attracted by the beautiful flowery garden, Ryoma stepped toward it. Immediately, an authoritarian voice stopped her.

"Ryoma, stop right there!"

Ryoma's legs automatically froze. The young girl recognized the voice. Ryoma often met with this person, so the voice was familiar to her. And right in front of Ryoma, _that_ person appeared.

"Obaa-san," Ryoma greeted the woman dress in white standing in front of her. It was the ghost who had always visited her in her dreams. The ghost woman smiled warmly at Ryoma.

"Hello Ryoma-chan," the ghost said, in a nice voice this time. The ghost turned around and drew a circle with her arms over the garden. The garden disappeared. The woman turned back to Ryoma. "It wasn't for to you, Ryoma-chan," the woman said. "It is not your time yet."

Ryoma blinked at the woman.

_'What is she doing here?' _Ryoma wondered. The woman smiled again and brought her hand to her mouth. She discreetly chuckled behind it, knowing what Ryoma was thinking.

"Huhuhu!"

"Obaa-san, what is this place?" Ryoma asked. The woman brought her hand down and closed her eyes. Two chairs appeared beside her. The woman opened her eyes again. She motioned for Ryoma to take a chair.

"Sit down, Ryoma-chan. I will explain everything to you," the woman said. Ryoma sat and the woman did the same. "This place is the transition between Heaven and Hell. Usually, when one finishes his or her Circle of Life, the soul of the person doesn't stop here and immediately goes up or down. But sometimes, there are special cases, like people who have yet to finish their Circle but still have their souls leave their body even though it is not their time yet. It is not the normal course of Life and the Guardian of all Lives must put everything back to its normal course. This is like a waiting room for those people. They stay here until the Guardian reestablish the right course of their Life and they are sent back into their Circle. Like for you, Ryoma-chan, your Time hasn't come, but the String of your Life broke. You left your body before it was time for you to do so. Right now, up there, they are repairing your String to attach it back to your body."

"Does it mean that I'm not dead yet?" Ryoma asked.

"Exactly," the woman said.

"Then why are you here too? You are a ghost, which basically mean that you're dead. How come you're not up or down?" Ryoma asked again. "And why are you here with me? Usually, you appeared only in my dreams."

The woman smiled.

"Until they finish repairing your String, I asked them to let me talk with you. I owe you many explanations," the woman answered.

"Explanations?"

"Yes." The woman smiled again. She looked up above her and took some minutes of silence to think. Ryoma waited for her to continue.

"Ten years ago, I died with my husband in a car accident, leaving our son an orphan at a very young age," the woman started. "Though I had finished my Circle, I still had attachments with my past. I didn't want to cross the bridge and I lingered on Earth because I hadn't finish the mission I had set for myself. As a mother, I couldn't leave in peace because I was worried for my son and his future. I was given, by the Guardian, a new delay to complete what I had wanted to do on Earth, which was to secure my son's future."

The woman brought her eyes back to Ryoma.

"Certainly, I thought about appearing to my son to guide him in his life, but I didn't want to disturb him. Thanks to you and your parents, he had learned to make peace with himself and has accepted my husband's and my departure. Returning back to him would disrupt his peace. That's why I chose to appear to you. Your will is strong. I thought you would not be scared of me and I was right. And also, I chose you because you are very dear to him and only you could bring him back to where he belongs."

"Him? Who's him?"

"My son, of course."

"What I meant was what is his name?" Ryoma asked, rolling her eyes.

"Huhuhu!" The woman chuckled, amused, but she did not answer the question.

"Ryoma-chan, I'm sorry I had to put you through so many hardship just for my son, but it's over. Everything will be fine from now on. Thank you for everything."

"Huh?" Ryoma hadn't understood a thing. The woman stood up from her seat and walked towards Ryoma. She bend down and closed her arms around Ryoma's shoulders.

"And I'm so fortunate that my son found me such a cute daughter!" she said, kissing Ryoma's temple.

"Hah?" Ryoma blinked and blinked again.

"Huhuhu!" the woman chuckled again.

"Are you ready to go now?" a new voice spoke.

Ryoma and the woman turned their head to see a man appear next to them. It was a man around his middle thirties with blue hair and hints of purple. He was also dressed in white like the woman.

"Anata!" The woman happily exclaimed. She removed herself from Ryoma and ran into the man's open arms. The man smiled, closed his arms and kissed her cheek.

"It's been a while," the man said.

"Huhuhu! For me too," the woman said. Ryoma watched the two of them cuddle without saying a word. It wasn't like she had anything to say. The woman turned to Ryoma. "Anata, this is Ryoma-chan," the woman introduced Ryoma to her husband.

"Oh my! What a pretty young lady!" the man exclaimed. He walked to Ryoma, took her hands in his and shook them. "Hello, Ryoma-chan. it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling warmly.

"Err, it's a pleasure for me too, ojii-san," Ryoma blurted out, not to sure how to react. Luckily for her, there was no need for her to find something to say because another voice interrupted them.

_"Ryoma, come back to me…"_

Ryoma recognized the voice.

"That's Fuji-senpai's…" Ryoma muttered. A new light appeared. This time, the light was meant for Ryoma. The woman smiled to Ryoma.

"Ryoma-chan, it is time for you to return to Earth," the woman said warmly. "And again, thank you for everything." A bright light shone around the couple and the garden Ryoma had seen previously re-appeared behind the couple. "Ryoma-chan, this is the last time we will meet. It was a pleasure for me to know you." The two people emitted an unearthly glow and were carried toward the garden.

"Ah! Wait! Tell me your name!" Ryoma shouted, but the couple and the garden disappeared.

"Soon," the voice of the woman answered, "Soon, you will know my name. Now, wake up."

* * *

_'Now, wake up…' _the echo of the voice of the woman said in Ryoma's head. Ryoma fluttered her eyes.

"Come back to me, Ryoma…" Syuusuke muttered in his sleep.

Ryoma's fingers flicked and she slowly opened her eyes. She found herself in a bed and connected to many machines which went _beep beep beep _in a steady rhythm. She tried to focus her vision to see a room filled with flowers. There were enough flowers to open a flower shop. Syuusuke tightened her hand in his, bringing Ryoma's attention to the warm hand which was holding hers. She saw a brunette boy sleeping with her hand closed in his.

"Fuji-senpai…" Ryoma weakly muttered. Syuusuke stirred, thinking he had dreamt of Ryoma calling his name. "Fuji-senpai…" Ryoma called again. This time, Syuusuke stirred and woke. When he was met with Ryoma's lively eyes, his eyes widened. No, he hadn't been dreaming when he had heard her calling his name. Trembling, Syuusuke slowly brought his hand to Ryoma's face, touching it. He was still thinking that he was imagining things.

"Ry-Ryoma… you-you are awake…" he stuttered. He cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. Ryoma leaned into his touch and he could feel her warmth in his palm.

"Senpai…" Ryoma softly said. Syuusuke really wasn't dreaming. He closed his arms around her. "Oomphfffff!" Syuusuke crushed her in his chest and buried his face in her neck.

"Ryoma!" he said, crying of happiness. She was back. She had come back to him. Feeling his tears on her skin, Ryoma softly smiled and leaned into his embrace.

"Senpai…" Ryoma muttered. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling to be in his arms again.

She had come back to be with him.

* * *

A/N: With this, I answered to the identity of the ghost. Yes, she was Ryoga's mother, but Ryoma doesn't know it yet. Remember when I asked who do you think the ghost was? Here is the report of your answers.

Who is the ghost and who guess what?

People who guessed right: Bacon n' Eggs, mewmewlover23, animelovermitsuki, serenamoonrose, Starian NightZz, Kris 77, Astalavisbon, AliciaHale, Dragonzflyte, KuroKiraHime and xXYuzukiXx.

People who nearly guessing right: Kukiji-chan and Sundae Bunny.

People who guessed wrong or no idea: lilgurlanima and Nightmare221.

Explanation. I said that I scattered here and there hints about the identity of the ghost in the story. The ghost's first appearance was in Ryoma's dream as an introduction. However, in all her other appearances, Ryoga was always near by or there was when something related to him. When she appeared at Yagyuu's house, Ryoga wasn't there, but it was Ryoga who was phone speaking with Yagyuu.

In the chapter 70, I was expecting that you will get the right guessing because of the hint at the end of the chapter. As soon as Ryoga said "I'm back" as Yuuji Ryuu, the ghost disappeared. She achieved the goal she set, so she didn't need to stay on Earth anymore. Bacon n' Eggs was the first person who got the right guessing of the ghost's identity. Bacon n' Eggs figured it out in the chapter 69.

* * *

And here something very important for you to know. I thank you very much for taking your time to write down yours reviews and yours nice words. They made me feel good and encouraged me to continue. I appreciated them a lot. And, from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you very much.

Post on Saturday February 20, 2010. Beta-ed on Monday April 12.


	73. Welcome back Ryoma

As soon as everyone knew that Ryoma had woken up, they ran to the hospital to see her. Ryoma had many visitors. The first ones to arrive were, of course, her family.

"Oh Ryoma! I'm so happy… I'm so happy…" Rinko cried as she hugged her daughter in her arms, dampening Ryoma's hospital shirt with her tears.

"Kaa-san…" Ryoma hugged Rinko back. Nanjirou, sitting on the other side of her bed, put an arm across her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He proudly kissed her temple. It was one of the extremely rare times - if not the first - that Nanjirou actually acted like a real father.

"Welcome back, bishoujo," Nanjirou said. Ryoma smiled to him. Ryoga put hand on her head, gently patting her.

"Welcome back from me as well, hime-chan," Ryoga added. Ryoma didn't mind being called 'princess' this time. It felt wonderful to be cherished by her family. Nanako happily hummed a song as she put flowers in a vase.

"There," Nanako said, putting the vase on Ryoma's bed table. "This will brighten your mood and help you heal faster."

"Here, Ryoma-chan. This is for you," Miyabi said, giving a present to Ryoma. Miyabi had come along with the family. They had crossed paths at the entrance of the hospital and came up together. Miyabi brought Ryoma a gorgeous Himalayan stuffed toy cat with silky long fur and vivid blue eyes. It was a toy worthy of being put in a collection. It looked exactly like Karupin. Ryoma loved (adored) it.

"Arigatou, Miyabi-senpai," Ryoma said, her eyes shining brilliantly as she marvelled over her new toy. Miyabi giggled, happy to see that Ryoma liked her present.

"How do you feel, Ryoma-chan?" Miyabi asked.

Rinko, Nanjirou, Ryoga, Nanako and Miyabi spent all afternoon with Ryoma until they saw that Ryoma needed to rest. With a last kiss and hug, they left Ryoma.

* * *

The regulars too came to visit her the next day. They missed their sole female teammate.

"Ochibi/Echizen, you woke up! Woeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Kirihara and Kikumaru wailed like a baby, crushing Ryoma in their (suffocating) hug.

"Hmnn! Hmnnn! Hmnnn!"

"Hora! Eiji, Kirihara, let her breath!" Ooishi cried out, rushing forward to detach them from her.

But Ooishi didn't need to make a lot of effort to detach Kikumaru and Kirihara's armsfrom Ryoma. Niou and Marui took care of the matter. They had decided that it was their turn to hug Ryoma, so they shoved away the annoying guys to make space for themselves.

"We miss you, Echizen-chan," Marui said.

_HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG!_ multiplied by four.

"Ouffffffff!" Ryoma changed color from white to blue. It was a good thing that Ryoma was no longer connected to an electrocardiogram and that Yukimura was there to control the regulars' (overly annoying) enthusiasm. Otherwise, all the doctors and nurses of the floor would have rush into her room. Her lungs desperately needed more oxygen and her heart was furiously demanding Ryoma to get some more.

* * *

Touga and Sora too thought about Ryoma. They came with their mother to see her.

"Echizen-chan, konnichiwa," Yumiko greeted.

"Yumiko-san, konnichi-… Ompfh!" Ryoma's breath was cut off because of Touga and Sora. The children launched themselves onto her as soon as they stepped in her room.

"Nee-chaaaaaaaan! We were so worried for you! Woeeeeeeeeeee!" Touga and Sora crushed her in their arms, but not enough to suffocate her like Kirihara and Kikumaru had. The kids had more consideration than the regulars.

"Thank you," Ryoma said, smiling and patting the kids' head.

"Woeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The children cried, hugging her harder. Their original intention was to make Ryoma feel good so she would heal faster, but it was Ryoma who had to make them smile before they left her. It took Ryoma a certain amount of time to make the kids stop crying, but she succeeded. Before leaving, Touga and Sora gave her a pretty 'Get well' card they had made themselves (and they certainly had more artistic skills then Ryoma).

* * *

Yuuta came with his parents. He said it was because his parents wanted to thank Ryoma in person for saving Fuji-dono.

"Otou-san, okaa-san, this is my friend, Echizen Ryoma," Yuuta introduced. "Ryoma, this is my parents."

"Konnichiwa, Fuji-fusai," Ryoma bowed her head.

"Konnichiwa, Echizen-chan. I'm Fuji Sennosuke," Sennosuke said, taking Ryoma's hands in his. "Thank you for saving my mother," he said with a smile.

"It was nothing, Fuji-san," Ryoma replied.

"Echizen-chan, I'm Fuji Seri. Thank you for taking care of Yuuta and Syuusuke," Seri said. "And it's a pleasure to finally and properly make your acquaintance." Surprised by Seri's last words, Ryoma examined the woman up and down. And her eyes popped out of her head.

_'Ah! She's the woman of the park!' _Ryoma recognized Seri.

"Huhuhu!" Seri chuckled at Ryoma's reaction, amused. Ryoma blushed in embarrassement.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fuji-fusai," Ryoma stuttered under Seri's and Sennosuke's amused and gentle smile.

"And this is from Shindou-san, Aoko-san and Kaoko-san. They wish you to get well soon," Sennosuke said, giving Ryoma a basket filled with delicious looking fresh fruits. (A/N: For people who have forgotten, Shindou is the Fuji's butler, Kaoko and Aoko are the maids Ryoma met during the cruise ship trip. Notice 2: Fruits are expensive in Japan. For example, three strawberries cost 18 dollars. And I'm not making fun of you.)

"Er, domo," Ryoma said, taking the basket. "Please, send them my thanks."

"Certainly," Sennosuke nicely said.

Each time Ryoma received a visit, it was never only one person. Except when it was Syuusuke. When ever the older Fuji boy came, everybody left them to be alone. Rinko had insisted on it. The two young people deserved to spend time alone after everything they had gone through.

Everyone was happy for Ryoma, but one person wasn't feeling well.

It was Fuji-dono.

* * *

Tokyo. Fuji mansion.

Fuji-dono, alone in her private quarter, looked outside her window but saw nothing. She felt lifeless and tired. She was tired of the comedy she forced herself to play. In front of everyone, Fuji-dono kept up a cold front because it was forbidden for her to show weakness. However, inside, she was falling deeper and deeper in her remorse, leaving her spiritless.

Ever since the accident, Fuji-dono didn't talk to anyone and asked that no one disturb her. She didn't want to see anyone. The truth was that she feared of what people would say about her. Before, Fuji-dono wouldn't care about people's opinions of her, but today was different. Seeing the accident occur before her very eyes had strongly shaken her from her normal demeanour. It was known to everyone: Fuji-dono despised Echizen Ryoma, but the latter saved her from a certain death. Fuji-dono knew it herself. She wasn't anywhere as young as she used to be in the past. The impact of the collision would have instantly kill her.

_'If it wasn't because of her, I would be…' _Fuji-dono trembled at the mere perspective of her being hit instead of Echizen Ryoma.

There was also another reason why Fuji-dono didn't want to see anyone.

Syuusuke.

Fuji-dono was scared of meeting Syuusuke. Since Echizen Ryoma's accident, Fuji-dono and Syuusuke met only once face to face. It was the day when he learn about Ryoma's hospitalization. Syuusuke had darted his eyes away from her, refusing to meet her glance. Syuusuke couldn't pretend to not know it was because of her that Ryoma fall into a coma. Syuuske's rejection hurt Fuji-dono much more than she wanted to admit it. Unable to stand the thought of seeing her favorite grandson sad because of her once more, Fuji-dono locked herself in her private quarters.

Just remembering that day, Fuji-dono felt her heart clench in pain.

_'Syuusuke…' _Fuji-dono brought her hand to her chest, trying to ease her pain. A tear rolled down Fuji-dono's face. _'He must feel resentful toward me…'_

_Knock knock knock._

"Fuji-dono, I brought you tea," Shindou said through the door. Fuji-dono wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and composed herself, bringing forth her cold mask.

"Come in," Fuji-dono answered.

Shindou entered with a tray in his hands. Fuji-dono forbade anyone to disturb her, except for Shindou. He was the only person Fuji-dono allowed to come into her quarter. Shindou served Fuji-dono her tea.

"Here for you, Fuji-dono," Shindou said, handing a cup to Fuji-dono.

"Thank you," Fuji-dono said, taking the cup of tea from Shindou's hand. Fuji-dono took a sip of the hot liquid. The Oolong tea immediately relaxed her. She took another sip. With his job done, Shindou excused himself. He turned on his heels to leave the room. But just before closing the door, he spoke again.

"Fuji-dono, Echizen-hime-sama has woken up from her coma," Shindou said, closing the door behind him.

Alone, Fuji-dono froze in the middle of drinking her tea.

_'She… She… She woke up…'_

A sigh of relief escaped Fuji-dono's lips. She felt the heavy pressure on her heart and her shoulders lift off. Her relief was so strong that she trembled. She was forced to put down her cup of tea. In her state, she could drop it any time. While trying to calm down the frantic rhythm of her heart beat, a thought kept echoing in her head like a mantra.

_'Yokatta… Yokatta…_(1) '

* * *

1) Yokatta: equivalent to "What a relief."

Updated on Tuesday March 2, 2010. Beta-ed on Tuesday March 24.

A/N: I didn't put Syuusuke in because it will be for the next chapter. Next time, it will be Syuusuke's and Ryoma's time alone.


	74. The Sun After the Rain

A/N: Warning! _**FLUFF** _in italic, bold, capital letters. If you cannot stand fluff, have sour candy drop or a glass a lemon juice without honey or sugar in hand before reading this chapter.

* * *

"Ja, we will leave you, Echizen-chan," Rei said. She had came with a couple of Ryoma's classmates to visit so that they could bring Ryoma homework as well as a copy of her notebook.

"Hn. Arigatou," Ryoma replied.

"We will come back again," Hanako said.

"Rest well," Mio added, waving.

"Bye bye," Ryoma greeted them.

Left alone, Ryoma pondered over her classmates' visit. Though she didn't understand what she had done to earn their kindness, she was happy for the visit. The girls even brought her a huge hand made card with notes from all her classmates. It was Rei, the class representative, who initiated the project. Rei even had all of Ryoma's teachers to write her something too. Ryoma read all the little messages one by one, twitching her eye at some, blinking at others, laughing at the next and smiling at the last one. Ryoma rarely paid attention to girls, but today, she saw a new side of them.

_'In the end, girls are not that bad,' _Ryoma thought.

Ryoma took her homework and notebook and scanned over. She grimaced. Each of her teachers wrote her a nice little message, but it hadn't stopped them from piling up her homework. She shrugged. Despite her complaints, she knew she should be grateful to them because, behind their actions, Ryoma understood that her teachers were helping her keep her scholarship. Her classmates also did not want her to loose her scholarship and leave the school. Everyday, they kept making a copy of their notes and diligently collected her homework from the teachers to bring them to her after. But this (huge) pile of homework…

_'Ha…' _Ryoma sighed. _'That's why I hate being sick and missing school. There are always more homework to do after…'_

She sighed again and picked up the notebook Rei had put on the top.

* * *

_Knock knock knock. _Someone knocked on her door.

"Huh? Please come in," Ryoma invited absentmindedly. She close her notebook and put the pile of homework she had completed on the table next to her bed. She heard her visitor open the door of her room, but that was all. The visitor did not step into the room nor did they say a word. Finding it strange, Ryoma turned to see who it was. And gasped like a gold fish out of the tank. Her visitor was the last person she expected to see.

"Fu-Fu-Fuji-dono_…?_" Ryoma stuttered. She blinked several times, thinking that she was seeing illusion. However, the image of the elder woman standing in her door frame didn't disappear. It was really Fuji-dono.

"May I come in?" Fuji-dono asked. Ryoma shook herself to wake up her mind. Her mother wouldn't be proud of her for letting a guest stand at the door.

"Yes. Pl-pl-please take a seat," Ryoma hurriedly said, blushing at her lack of manners. Fuji-dono closed the door and walked to Ryoma's bed. Without a word, Fuji-dono sat on the chair next to Ryoma's bed and crossed her hands on her lap.

". . ." A heavy silence settled between them. No one said a word. They didn't know what to say or how to start the conversation. After what seemed to be an eternity, Fuji-dono was the first one to break the silence.

"Th-thank you_…_" Fuji-dono muttered.

"Huh?" Ryoma wasn't sure she heard right. There was no way Fuji-dono was thanking her.

"Thank you_…_" Fuji-dono repeated again, but more clearly. Ryoma blinked. This time, she had heard correctly, but couldn't understand what she was being thanked for. "Thank you_… _for saving my life_…_" Fuji-dono continued. "If it wasn't for you, I would have certainly died in the accident," Fuji-dono finished in a whisper.

Ryoma gasped. Ryoma had never thought she would see this day: the respectable Fuji-dono putting aside her pride to say 'Thank you' to a person she used to despise. Who would think that Fuji-dono was capable to do this? On the other hand, Fuji-dono just showed Ryoma how great the people who carried the Fuji family name were. She saw Fuji-dono's hands trembling. It took a lot of courage for Fuji-dono to do what she was doing and she did it to the end. Ryoma was touched by Fuji-dono sincerity. Such effort deserved to be praised.

"I'm happy I could prevent you from getting hit by the car, Fuji-dono," Ryoma said in a sincere voice. Fuji-dono's hands stopped trembling and the woman raised her head to look at the younger one.

"B-but why did you_…_?"

"If anything bad happen to you, Fuji-dono, Fuji-senpai would be very sad," Ryoma answered. "And that would hurt me more than anything_…_" she softly finished for herself, unaware that Fuji-dono heard her. Fuji-dono's eyes wide.

_'She… She…'_

Now Fuji-dono understood why her grandson was so strongly attached to this girl. This girl wasn't after the fame and fortune of the Fuji family as Fuji-dono had first thought of her.

_'She really loves Syuusuke…'_

The world Fuji-dono lived in was a complicated life. For Fuji-dono, it was impossible for virtuous values such as love, loyalty or anything alike to existe in this kind of world. To survive, people needed to build strong and unbreakable ties between themselves. Convenient marriages had always been the most perfect tie between partners. With this perspective, it was to be expected that greedy and untrustworthy people would seek to become the in-law of a powerful family. Over the course of her life, Fuji-dono had seen many, many gold digger in-laws or two faced grooms, after succeeding to infiltrate through a marriage based on 'love', completely destroy the in-law family later. Fuji-dono didn't want to see her family destroyed that way. She wanted to protect her family. She must protected her family. And she would do anything to protect her family. Thus, to prevent gold diggers from infiltrating, she had decided that she would choose the future grooms and brides for her children through a very carefully selection. Because love caused people to be blind in their judgement, which resulted into the destruction of the family, Fuji-dono discarded love from her criteria. In her eyes, love only brought sadness and misfortune. Echizen Ryoma showed her that she was wrong.

_'If she was really after Syuusuke's name, she could have ignored me and let me be hit be the car. That way, no one would be in her way to steal Syuusuke's heart. Yet, because of her love for Syuusuke, she… she saved me from death …'_

Massive tears rolled down Fuji-dono's cheeks. Ryoma's eyes popped out of her head and her blood froze. She panicked.

_'Wha-wha-what…? Hiyaaaaaaaaah!' _Ryoma silently yelled in her head. _'She is crying! She is crying! What did I do wrong? What did I say wrong? KAA-SAN, PLEASE, HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!'_

But alas for Ryoma, Rinko wasn't anywhere nearby to help her distressed daughter. Ryoma was left to solve her problem alone. Ryoma had always been capable of solving her problems on her own, but she never face _this_ kind of problem… She gulped.

"Fu-Fuji-dono, pl-please don't cry," Ryoma stuttered. "I'm sorry if what I said hurt you. I'm really sorry, but please, stop crying_…_" Ryoma desperately pleaded. Fuji-dono just cried harder. Ryoma cringed. When Miyabi cried, Ryoma didn't feel embarrassed and just simply let Miyabi pour out her pain. She didn't need to say anything and it was fine. Ryoma suddenly had a bright idea.

_'Then why don't I just simply do the same thing as I did with Miyabi-senpai?'_

Ryoma relaxed and let Fuji-dono cry without disturbing the old woman. And, like Miyabi, Fuji-dono liked it that way.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes, Fuji-dono managed to calm down. Fuji-dono found it awkward. It was Echizen Ryoma, the girl that she used to despise, who had freed her of her sadness.

_'This Echizen Ryoma girl has a strange power. She can make people around her feel comfortable,' _Fuji-dono thought, smiling. She no longer felt sad. After having poured out all her sadness through her tears, she felt incredibly good, her heart light. It had been more than fifty years since she had last felt like this.

"Thank you, Echizen-chan," Fuji-dono told Ryoma. Ryoma blinked. What did she do to deserve the 'thank you' and a '-chan' from the old woman? Nonetheless, Ryoma remembered what Rinko taught her when someone thanked her.

"D-Dou itashimashite (1)," Ryoma clumsily said. Fuji-dono tipped her handkerchief to wipe off the last remaining of her tears, smiling at the girl's clumsiness.

_'It's refreshing, this side of her,' _Fuji-dono thought. _'Could this be one of the reasons Syuusuke like her too?'_

"It was a pleasure to talk with you, Echizen-chan," Fuji-dono sincerely said, once again amazed by Echizen Ryoma's power to make people around her feel relax.

"For me as well, Fuji-dono," Ryoma replied. Fuji-dono stood up.

"I will leave now so you can rest. Thank you for everything."

"Thank you for visiting me, Fuji-dono. And please, be careful on your way back," Ryoma cautioned, bowing her head to Fuji-dono. Fuji-dono turned on her heels and walked to her door. Just before opening the door, she stopped. Ryoma looked curiously at her. Fuji-dono turned back to Ryoma.

"When you get well, will you come to visit me?" Fuji-dono hesitantly asked. Ryoma smiled.

"It will be with pleasure, Fuji-dono," Ryoma said. Fuji-dono returned her smile, happy. The old lady opened the door and left the room.

* * *

Left alone, Ryoma pondered over the visit from Fuji-dono.

_'It was certainly unexpected, but I'm happy that she visited,' _Ryoma thought, smiling.

_Click!_

Ryoma's door opened again. Ryoma turned her head to see that she had another visitor. Seeing the new visitor, Ryoma's face brightened.

"Fuji-senpai!" she happily greeted him. Syuusuke smiled softly and closed the door. He walked to Ryoma's bed and sat down on the chair.

"Ryoma, how do you feel?" Syuusuke gently greeted her.

"Very well now, senpai."

They chatted for a moment. They talked about nothing and everything. The subject of the conversation wasn't important. For them, the most important was that they could spend some time together without anyone around. Each time Syuusuke visited, Ryoma felt happy in a particular way. She was happy each time her family and friends visited her, but she was twice as happy when it was Syuusuke who visited her. Of course, Ryoma was aware that whenever he came, she wasn't her normal self. First, she smiled more ('Too much' her old self would say). Second, he made it impossible for her to be her hard and cranky old self ('Che' old-Ryoma retorted). She felt completely lovey-dovey towards him ('Sigh…'). But she was like that only when she was alone with him. And Syuusuke wanted the exclusivity of this side of Ryoma for himself only. He didn't want to share this side of Ryoma with anyone else. He cherished every single second he spent with her. As he was listening to her, Syuusuke smiled, amazed.

_'The first day I met her, I despised her. Today, she has become so precious to me.' _he thought, smiling. Syuusuke's smile caught Ryoma's attention.

"Senpai, why do you look so happy?" Ryoma asked. Syuusuke came back to Earth and gave his attention back to her.

"What do you mean? I'm always happy when I see you," Syuusuke teased, smiling wider. Ryoma cringed and blushed.

"That's not what I mean," Ryoma muttered, embarrassed, much to his amusement. "You look happy in a different way today." Syuusuke's smiled soften. He stood up from the chair and sat on her bed. Ryoma instinctively tensed, not used to be this close to him.

"Ryoma, thank you for everything_…_" Syuusuke whispered, looking in her eyes.

"W-W-What do you mean?" Ryoma stuttered, dumbfound. Syuusuke only smiled, but not answering. He just locked his eyes with her. He had heard the conversation between Ryoma and his grandmother. He knew that Ryoma had succeeded in cracking the shell around Fuji-dono and freed the old lady from the loneliness of the past weeks. When Syuusuke heard Fuji-dono asked Ryoma to come to see her again, he too felt freed from his sadness and the torture done to his soul. He was torn between his grandmother and Ryoma. But now that his grandmother accepted Ryoma, that meant that she was willing to accept his love for the Ryoma. Syuusuke felt immensely happy. He would never forget these few seconds of happiness he felt for his grandmother. For Ryoma. And for himself.

Syuusuke leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He inwardly smiled when he felt her tense again underneath him. He knew he was being bold and that Ryoma wasn't yet ready to take such a large step in their relationship, but he wouldn't retreat either. He knew that the object of his affection was the kind of girl to be dreadfully slow in these kinds of relationships. If he waited for her to be ready for him, it would take him over twenty years. He knew that if he waited for another twenty years, other rivals would show up and he might lose her, just as Yukimura told him. In this kind of situation, a pea brain was smarter than her. Syuusuke wanted things to go faster for him. So, it was up to him to bring her to take bigger steps in their relationship.

"Ryoma, I love you_…_" he whispered in her ears. And waited. Waited for her to give him her answer.

After the first seconds of shock, Ryoma completely froze underneath him. But seeing that he wasn't doing anything and that he was patiently waiting for her, Ryoma relaxed. They stood like this for a long moment. Syuusuke gave her time to get accustomed to their closeness. When he felt that Ryoma had become comfortable, Syuusuke decided to take another step. He detached himself from her forehead to look in her eyes. Ryoma returned his glance, just as he hoped she would. She was ready. She was no longer scared of him. Slowly, he bent down and brushed his lips against hers, asking her for permission to continue. Ryoma felt her blood rush up in her face again and a tingling sensation ran down her spine from where his skin touched her. It wasn't a bad sensation. It was actually an amazing sensation. And she liked it. Her shyness ebbed away as a little smile appeared on her pink lips. He expectantly waited for her answer. She gave it to him.

"I… I… I love you too, senpai…" Ryoma softly said. He smiled. Happy. She accepted him.

Encouraged, Syuusuke firmly pressed his lips against hers once more in a more passionate kiss, a kiss he had longed to give her so long ago.

* * *

Miyabi calmly made her way toward Ryoma's room, smiling, a bouquet of flowers in her arms. She planned to change Ryoma's old ones. She was so happy to see her kouhai getting better day by day. And it was always a pure pleasure to visit the young girl. Arriving at Ryoma's room, Miyabi turned the door knob when something made her stopped. There, through the split of the door, she saw Syuusuke's silhouette leaned over Ryoma's form. Syuusuke's arms were on both side of Ryoma, supporting his upper body.

And Syuuske's lips and Ryoma's were connected.

After a second of surprise, Miyabi smiled and silently closed the door.

_'I can see her later,' _Miyabi thought. She turned on her heels to leave and jumped at the sight in front of her. "Oh!"

Behind Miyabi stood Kirihara and Momo with their jaw hanging all the way down on the floor. They had seen what was happening behind the door before Miyabi could closed it. Kirihara and Momo were going to burst when-

_BONK! BONK! _

Marui and Ootori bonked Kirihara and Momo a good one on their heads.

"Shhhhhhh! Don't disturb them!" Niou admonished.

"But-But…!" Kirihara and Momoshiro were immediately shut up with tape over their mouths. Next, Marui, Niou and Ootori jumped on the two boys with ropes and duct tape in hands. They proceeded to tie the two younger boys quiet.

"Ah…" Tezuka and Sanada sighed as they massaged their foreheads, feeling a headache coming up. Atobe's eyebrow twitched repetitively as he wondered why he was with these morons. Only Yukimura, who was chuckling, found the situation amusing. Yagyuu, impassive on the outside, was suppressing his desire to sigh like Tezuka and Sanada at his cousin's antics. Ryoga was crouched at Yagyuu's feet with Nanjirou. Facing the wall opposite of Ryoma's room, the two Echizen men were sulking. Gloomy spirits floated over their head.

"Boooouuuu houhouhouhou!" Nanjirou and Ryoga cried against their knees.

"Oh my! What happen to them?" Miyabi asked.

"Huhuhu!" Rinko chuckled behind her hand. "Ryoma just turned into a woman and they are sad because they just lost their little princess to someone else."

"_Bouhou wuaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahahaha aaaaaaaah!_" Nanjirou and Ryoga continued to wail.

Kikumaru was also crying along side them on Ooishi's shoulders.

"Woeeeeeeeee!" Kikumaru whimpered. He too just lost his favorite human plushy toy 'Ochibi-chan'. Ryoma wasn't an Ochibi-chan anymore. She had become a girl now. "Woeeeee! Woeeeee! Woeeeeeeee!"

"Hora hora!" Ooishi pet Kikumaru.

Marui, Niou and Ootori finished ducting Momoshiro and Kirihara and threw the struggling packages next to Nanjirou and Ryoga.

"Hmmmmn! Hmmmmn! Hmmmnn! Hmnnn!" Momoshiro and Kirihara struggled to be freed, but Marui, Niou and Ootori ignored them. Instead, the three boys tiptoed to Ryoma's door and glued their ears against it. They hoped to hear something interesting thing through the door.

"Ah…" Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu simultaneously sighed in exasperation.

_'They are hopeless…' _Tezuka, Sanada and Yagyuu thought. Looking outside the window of the hallway, Jirou just simply smiled.

_'I'm happy for you, Fuji, Echizen-chan.'_

"_WUAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA AAAAAAAAAH!_" Nanjirou's, Ryoga's and Kikumaru's wails could be heard all the way down the street.

* * *

1) Dou itashimashite: You're welcome.

Post on Friday March 12, 2010. Beta-ed on Monday March 29.


	75. Cat Mode Wedding Proposal

A/N: Please take note. There are many time skips in this chapter. This chapter is mainly focused on Ryoga and Miyabi.

* * *

"Ryoga-san, marry me," Miyabi said, staring straight into Ryoga's eyes.

Ryoma stopped chewing her ichigo daifuku (1). Rinko blinked over her cup of tea, watching the interaction between Ryoga and Miyabi while Nanako put a new plate of ichigo daifuku on the table. Yagyuu calmly served himself another daifuku. As for Ryoga, he froze in his process of drinking his tea. The hot liquid spilled out from his cup, soaking his clothes, but he wasn't aware of it. He just glared at Miyabi, gasping and bathing himself in his matccha green tea instead of emtying it inside his belly. The seven people around the table didn't make a move nor a sound. The only noise in the room was from Nanjirou and Karupin.

"KARUP_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!_" Nanjirou yelled. Karupin had torn one of Nanjirou's precious 'magazines' and Nanjirou was chasing after the feline.

"Meoooooooooooooow!" Karupin swiftly escaped away from Nanjirou's hands.

"Karupin! Damn feline! Wait until I get my hands on you!"

"Mawww mawwwr moeeeeeeeeeew!" The (false) monk and the blue eyed cat ran around the room, unaffected by the silence around the table.

"Marry me, Ryoga-san," Miyabi repeated again, more determinedly.

". . ." There was still no reaction from Ryoga. The Yuuji-Echizen young man became an award-worthy imitation of a fish out of the tank.

"You don't have to answer. Just nod or shake your head," Miyabi said.

". . ." the Yuuji-Echizen fish answered. Karupin and Nanjirou ran past him.

"Karupin! Come back heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Nanjirou yelled, almost catching the cat tail.

"Meoooooooooow!" Karupin meowed. He jumped away, just in time before Nanjirou grabbed his fluffy attire. And _POUUUUNNNND!_, he landed on Ryoga's head.

"Ouch!" Ryoga groaned. Using Ryoga's head as a trampoline, Karupin jumped into Ryoma's arms, his nest of security. Karupin knew that Nanjirou wouldn't dare do anything to him because it was Ryoma's time of the month (that was why they had the most traditional Japanese ichigo daifuku as dessert today!). By doing so, Karupin forced Ryoga to do something…

"Ah! He nodded," Ryoma, Rinko, Nanako and Yagyuu stated. That meant that Ryoga agreed (more likely forced to agree) to Miyabi's marriage proposal. Miyabi's face lit up and she grew a smile of happiness.

"Waa! This is wonderful!" Miyabi exclaimed, clapping her hands together as tears of happiness twinkled in her eyes.

"Eh? What?" Ryoga asked, lifting his head up. The ladies around the table ignored him.

"Oh! I'm so happy for you two, Ryoga, Miyabi!" Rinko happily said. "Isn't that exciting, Nanako-chan? We have a marriage coming!"

"Huhuhu! Hai, obaa-san! I'm excited too!" Nanako said, giggling. An _innocent _(cough cough) tennis ball rolled out of nowhere from under the table and Nanjirou tripped on it.

"Huh? Wua_aaaaaaaaaaaah_!" Nanjirou let out a yell and ended up outside the backyard garden, in the small lake. _SPLASSSSSHHHHHHHH! _

_'How dare he chase after my adorable and innocent little kitten?' _Ryoma grumbled in her head.

"Meow!" Karupin purred, happy to be safe in his mistress' arms.

"Nanako, which one do you think is better? A Western wedding with a white dress in a church or a Japanese traditional wedding in a jinja temple with a shiromaku and an uchikake (2)?" Nanako grabbed her chin between her fingers, thinking.

"Hmm, I do like the Japanese traditional wedding, but maybe Miyabi-san's parents would prefer a wedding in a church," Nanako commented.

"Indeed. We must also take into consideration Miyabi's parents' preferences," Rinko agreed. Rinko and Nanako started chit chatting over where the wedding should be held. Ryoma turned to Miyabi.

"Senpai, are you sure you want to marry him?" Ryoma asked. "He's a big trouble, you know. He is so obnoxious, clumsy and annoying."

"Huhuhu," Miyabi chuckled. "Don't worry. I will manage him. And you will be my honor maid, nee, Ryoma-chan?"

"Err, does it imply that I must wear a dress?" Ryoma's eyebrow twitched.

"Well of course, Ryoma," Rinko joined in the conversation.

"You will look adorable in a pink dress, Ryoma-chan," Nanako cooed.

"Urgh!" Ryoma's face twisted into a horrible grimace.

"Hahahaha!" Miyabi laughed.

"Hiroshi-kun, please contact a wedding organizer for us," Rinko said to Yagyuu.

"Hai, obaa-san," Yagyuu said to his new aunt, pulling out his cellphone.

While the discussion about the wedding continued between Rinko, Nanako and Miyabi, Ryoga glare fiercely at the Himalayan beast happily purring in his mistress's arms. The oblivious feline had just sealed his fate without asking his opinion. And he couldn't do anything against the petty pet because the furry ball was nesting against a PMS'ing Ryoma. Ryoga _reeeeeeeee__ally _didn't want to end like Nanjirou outside in the cold water.

* * *

**TIME SKIP**

* * *

One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Turn.

One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Turn.

One, two, three. One, two, three, Ryoga twirled Miyabi before pulling her back in his arms. He looked down at his dancing partner, now officially his fiancée. Tonight was their engagement party. Miyabi looked up to him, her eyes shining with tender love. The way she looked at him made him feel like a he was a god. She loved him from the bottom of her heart and would do anything for him, which immensely boosted his ego. So why not accept the great gift kami-sama had granted him? As annoying and airhead as he was, like Ryoma put it, Ryoga wasn't stupid enough to let this wonderful present from Fate escape from him. He didn't like the idea that it was a damn and oblivious ball of hair on four feet that had sealed his fate, but he kind of liked Miyabi. She was a good girl.

_'Not to mention that she is a beauty too!' _

Nanjirou's perverted behavior had rubbed off a bit on him. Ryoga looked down again to lock gazes with Miyabi loving eyes. Inadvertently, he smiled at her.

_'In the end, I'm more lucky than I thought I was to find such a pretty fiancée,' _Ryoga thought, feeling a warm softness envelope his heart. Miyabi's smile brightened more when he smiled to her.

* * *

At the other side of the room, Nanjirou and Ryoma were watching them. Nanjirou was smiling like a father proud of his son.

"Once again, he makes me proud to be the father of such a wonderful son," Nanjirou said. Ryoma felt a little twinge bite her heart. "As you make me proud to be the father of such a marvelous daughter," Nanjirou finished, turning to look at her with tender eyes.

". . ." Ryoma gasped and looked at him with wide eyes.

_'Did he say…?'_

"Even if Ryoga had never appeared in our lives, I would never wish for you to be a boy nor would I exchange you for a boy, Ryoma. Despite all the hardship that has shown up in your path, you have never lost yourself to despair and you have stood up on your own until the end." Nanjirou pulled Ryoma against his chest. "I'm very proud of you, daughter," he said, kissing her forehead. Then, he left her and walked away.

Ryoma stood where she was, frozen and unable to move from her spot in shock. She realized that she had completely forgotten about her first goal from when she had first joined Seiyou Academy. She forgot that she had aimed to beat Nanjirou and Ryoga in tennis. She forgot that everything she had done up until today had only been to win her father's recognition. And now, she realized that she had always had her father's love and recognition, but she just had never seen it.

A big smile spread on her face from ear to ear. She shone so much that everybody in the room turned their heads away from her radiance. She wasn't even aware when Syuusuke walked up to her. It was only when Syuusuke kissed the back of her hand that she returned back to reality. And now that he had gotten her attention, he pulled her against him to join the twirling couples. Ryoma was known to be dreadfully clumsy when she was in a dress - and worst, dancing in a dress -, but today, amazingly, she was a pretty waltzing girl. Of course, the fact that her partner was a Fuji Syuusuke could not be put aside. He was the only one would could avoid having his foot crushed by her.

* * *

Nanjirou and Rinko, who were dancing at the other end of the room, watched Syuusuke and Ryoma. Rinko saw Nanjirou talking to Ryoma and she had a very good idea of why Ryoma was suddenly shining. She smiled and stood up on her toes to kiss Nanjirou on the cheek.

"I'm proud of you, anata," Rinko said. Nanjirou blinked and looked down at his wife, blinking.

"Huh? What for?"

"Huhuhu!" Rinko chuckled. Poor Nanjirou. He was looking at Ryoma with sadness and happiness. Sadness because he knew she would soon leave him. Happiness because she had found her own happiness. Rinko knew how hard it was for him to give his little princess to another man, yet he would do anything for her happiness. He deserved a reward.

"Anata, tonight, Ryoma will be staying over at Atobe-kun's place with the regulars. Syuusuke's nephew and niece, Touga and Sora, called me to ask my permission for Ryoma. They were adorable on the phone and I agreed. Ryoga is staying over at his house to do the preparations for his wedding. And Nanako is going in camping with her friends at the university."

"Ah! Does it mean… that we are alone tonight?" Nanjirou said, feeling his heart beating faster in his chest.

"Huhuhu! Yes," Rinko said. Nanjirou flashed a smile. This time, Rinko didn't mind his lechery.

"Why don't we go back home now to rest?" he eagerly asked her.

"Later. I want to spend a little bit more time with them," Rinko answered, watching Ryoga with Miyabi and Ryoma with Syuusuke across the room. Nanjirou's answer surprised her.

"Yeah, me too," Nanjirou said, looking at his children as well.

* * *

**TIME SKIP**

* * *

Yuuji house.

In the big garden of the Yuuji house, there were many tables put out for a reception. A small orchestra played music to entertain people as they ate, chatted or danced. Today was the wedding of Yuuji Ryuu with Miyabi Lavinia de Lavoiselle. It was time to take pictures, but the bride was nowhere to be found. The parents and friends went to search for the new bride. It was Ryoma who found Miyabi inside the house. When Miyabi left the water room to go back to her husband and the guests, something caught her attention. Ryoma found her on the second floor, standing in front of a paint portrait. She ran to Miyabi.

"Nee-chan, what are you doing here? We've been looking every where for you!" Ryoma said.

"Ryoma-chan," Miyabi said, turning her head and smiling to her new little sister. "I was looking at this portrait." Miyabi turned her eyes back to the portrait. "I was wondering if I was dreaming, but I'm not. This person, I once saw her in my dream."

"Ah? Who?" Ryoma asked. Miyabi pointed the portrait.

"This woman," Miyabi said. Ryoma brought her eyes up to the painting on the wall. It was the portrait of two people around their mid twenty, a young man and a woman. The man had dark hair with hints of dark blue and purple, a little bit like Yagyuu Hiroshi's hair. He was standing behind the armchair where his wife was sat. His wife had her hands crossed over her lap and was smiling. She had wavy chestnut hair and was looking in front of her. The woman particularly caught Ryoma's attention. Ryoma squinted her eyes at the woman, focusing her attention on the woman.

_'Something about this woman_…_' _Ryoma brought her attention to the smile of the woman, that _very_ particular smile. It was the smile of… _'It's the smile of the… SHE'S THE WOMAN WHO ALWAYS APPEARED IN MY DREAMS!' _Ryoma gaped widely and her eyes went blank.

"Oh my! Ryoma-chan, are you alright? Ryoma-chan?" Miyabi asked worriedly. She waved her hands in front of Ryoma's face, but Ryoma didn't reacted. Miyabi became worried. "Ryoma-chan, please answer me! Are you alright?"

"Miyabi, Ryoma, what is it?" Ryoga appeared next to them. He too went searching around for his bride and his little sister. He suspected that his new bride would be lost in his big house. And he was certain that his little sister would certainly find a way to get lost again. Thus, he was the only one who could find them.

"Oh Ryoga! Something happened to Ryoma-chan!" Miyabi said. "We were looking at this painting and she completely froze!"

"Huh?" Ryoga went in front of Ryoma, waving his hand in front of her eyes. But like Miyabi, he too didn't get an answer from the black-green haired girl. Ryoma was in shock, in a big shock. Ryoga decided to change tactics. He grabbed Ryoma by her shoulders and, _SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!_

"Chibisuke, wake uuuuuuuuuuup!" Ryoga yelled in her face, succeeding in bringing Ryoma back on Earth. Ryoma blinked once. Twice. And thrice, before seeing that her brother was in front of her, holding her shoulders. "Chibisuke, what happened to you?" Ryoma shook her head to get back her senses and grabbed Ryoga by the revert of his smocking.

"Aniki, who are these people!" Ryoma hastily asked, pointing at the portrait.

"Eh? Who?" Ryoga looked up to where Ryoma was pointing. Seeing the couple in the painting, his face softened and he smiled. "Ah, they were my parents, Yuuji Kuchiki and Yuuji Nadeshiko, née Nakayama. This portrait was painted during their first year of marriage." He stayed in silence, contemplating the image of his parents as emotions filled his eyes.

_'Otou-sama, okaa-sama…__' _He put his arms around Lavinia's waist and pulled her against him.

"Otou-sama, okaa-sama, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Miyabi. From today on, she will be staying here with us. Please, give us your blessing," Ryoga said. Ryoga and Lavinia had the impression that the people in the portrait were smiling down at them. Next, Ryoga put his arms across Ryoma's shoulders and pulled her to him too. "And this is my little sister, Ryoma. She is your new daughter," Ryoga said next. "Chibisuke, said hello to your adopted parents."

"'Lo," Ryoma grunted between her teeth, glaring fiercely at the woman in the portrait. Ryoma had the impression that the woman was laughing at her.

_'No wonder I found her eyes and her smile familiar. They are the same as aniki's!'_ Ryoma thought. She glared in the eyes of the woman, her eyes slitted. _'Why didn't you just simply say that you were his mother from the beginning?'_ her eyes questioned the woman. Again, she had the _obviously clear_ impression that the woman was laughing again.

_'I told you you will soon know about me.' _Ryoma heard the voice of her ghost visitor in her head.

"Ah!" Ryoma slapped her forehead.

_'I should have realized it sooner.'_

* * *

Flashback

"Certainly, I thought about appearing in front of my son to guide him in his life, but I didn't want to disturb him. Thanks to you and your parents, he learned to make peace with himself and accept my husband's and my departure."

"And I'm so fortunate that my son found me such a cute daughter!"

End flashback

* * *

These two hints were directed at Ryoga. Ryoma was the daughter of her mother, not of any other woman. But she was also the sister of her brother, so that meant that she was, at the same time, the daughter of Ryoga's mother. She never thought before that Ryoga could have a biological mother too. It completely slipped from her head.

_'He is so weird (and so annoying) that I always believed that he was some alien who crashed on Earth. Not that he was actually born from a human mother!'_

Up in Heaven

"Hahahahaha! Hahahaha! Oh she is so funny! Hahahaha!" Nadeshiko laughed, grabbing her stomach and wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes. Her husband Kuchiki too couldn't suppress a smile of amusement.

* * *

"What are thinking about, Ryoma-chan?" Miyabi asked, wondering why Ryoma slapped herself.

"Nothing. I just realized something obvious that I should have understood long ago," Ryoma said.

"But aren't you _always _slow to understand obvious things?" Ryoga asked. (_STOMP!_) "OWWWWWW! Hmmmmmmmmn!" Ryoga bite his lips, praying to kami to smooth the pain he felt in his left foot.

"Hmph! Ahou!" Ryoma hmph-ed and walked away.

"Urrrrrrgh_…_" Ryoga grunted between his teeth.

"Hmhmhmhm!" Miyabi laughed behind her hand. "Ryoga, today is Ryoma's first day of menstruation, you know," Miyabi commented, smiling amusedly.

"Heh? What? It can't be! It's still too soon! This month, it's suppose to be next week!" Ryoga replied.

"Huhuhu! Ryoga, girls aren't always predictable, that what makes us so special."

"Ha_…_" Ryoga sighed. Miyabi giggled, then looked up at the woman in the portrait.

_'So that was what you mean when you said that I will find my happiness in Japan, obaa-sama…'_ Miyabi stopped and thought over again. '_Okaa-sama__…_' Miyabi smiled. When Miyabi was in France, she met this woman in her dream.

_"Go to Japan. Your happiness awaits you in Japan," _Miyabi remembered the woman told her in her dream. That was the reason why Miyabi didn't protest when her parents sent her to Japan with Fuji-dono. Once in Japan, Miyabi never saw the woman in her dreams again. Miyabi looked at her husband. As a matter of fact, the first person she met after her arrival to Japan, besides Jenkin, was Ryoga, on that fateful day he helped her. She smiled at the memory. Ryoga, seeing her smile, blinked.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Miyabi said, smiling. "I just remembered the first day we met." She caught him by surprise, but he smiled back at her too. He bent down and pressed his lips against hers. They shared a kiss. After a long moment, Ryoga slowly detached himself from her.

"Let's go back to the guests. They are waiting for us," he said.

"Hai," Miyabi answered back, smiling. His arm around her waist, Ryoga led his new bride toward the guests for the picture session.

* * *

1) ichigo daifuku: strawberry flavor soft cake filled with bean paste.

2) shiromaku and uchikake: The Japanese traditional wedding clothes for the bride consisted of two kimonos: shiromaku and uchikake. The shiromaku is a pure white kimono worn for the wedding ceremony. The uchicake is an elaborate rich patterned silk brocade kimono worn over the shiromaku for the wedding reception.

A/N: I know. There isn't much of Syuusuke and Ryoma. I wanted to finish with Miyabi and Ryoga. Now that it's done, I can focus on Syuusuke and Ryoma for next time.

Post on Wednesday March 24, 2010. Beta-ed on Monday March 29.


	76. Author's Note

Dear readers,

Just to give news why I'm haven't update for the last two months. I moved to a new place. Needed to adjust to my new environment. No Internet connexion (I can only do it at the job and at the public library). It's the end of the session _AND I'M RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY EXAMSSSSSS_. You know, the classical pattern of all end of year session: study, study, study, test, test, test, study, report, study, study, test, report, report and report. I still have two exams and two reports to complet. By half June, I can update back again. So please, wait until half June.

Sincerly yours,  
Plush

Tuesday May 18, 2010.


	77. Omake

A/N: Hello. Sorry for the long waiting. I know I said I would update by half June, after the end of my exams, but I finished the last exam Monday June 21. I forgot about that one when I wrote the Author's Note. And after that, I had difficulty to get back into the story because it had been so long. I couldn't write anything. That's why I didn't update anything.

I'm still fixing the REAL next chapter (one more consistent), which will be chapter 78. Until then, please enjoy this omake!

* * *

**Seiyou Academy. Omake**

"Hmm…" Ryoma sighed, feeling bored. "Who would have guessed that I would miss that annoying aniki…" she mumbled, dropping her head onto the table.

But Ryoma couldn't lie to herself. She missed Ryoga, her annoying and boring big brother.

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed again.

Almost a year had passed since Ryoga and Miyabi had gone to France. Because they were busy, they weren't able to exchange a lot of phone calls or mail. When they separated at the airport, Ryoma told him:

* * *

Flashback

"Finally, I can be free from your hideously loud, big mouth annoying me every day."

"Awww… Chibisuke, how can you say something like that?" Ryoga whined, choking her in his dead-grip hug.

"Argh! Let me go, aniki!" Ryoma yelled.

"Chibisuke, woeeeeeeeeee!" Ryoga just wailed louder, tightening his arms around her so that the already tight hug had become a death trap.

"Urggggggh! Nee-chan, heeeeeeeeeeelp! Un-glue him from me!" Ryoma pleaded, begging Miyabi to rescue her.

"Huhuhu!" Miyabi chuckled, but proceeded to detach Ryoga from Ryoma. "There there, Ryoga. Let go of Ryo-chan."

"Arigatou, nee-chan," Ryoma said, relieved to get some air in her lungs.

"Miyabi, how could you do that? Taking her side over mine!" Ryoga protested. Miyabi stood on the tips of her toe to whisper in his ear.

"Ryoga, you don't want to have her angry at you today. It's her first day of you-know-what," Miyabi said.

"Heeeeeh! What?" Ryoga immediately jumped three meters away from Ryoma, much to his parents' and Miyabi's amusement. He mentally pictured his calendar in his head and realized that his wife was right. Caught up in the preparations for leaving for France, he had forgot about Ryoma's coming time of the month.

_'But she hasn't bitten oyajii's head or mine since this morning...'_ Ryoga thought to himself.

_'Then again, you're leaving for a whole year today and she knows she won't be seeing you for a long time,'_ his inner mind told him.

_'Ah!' _Blinking, Ryoga watched Miyabi talk to Ryoma. Ryoma's face was normal except for the little tug at the corner of her mouth. Ryoga knew that little tug. Ryoma always had it when there was something she didn't want to say, something like 'I'll miss you but I won't never admit it'_._ Ryoga smirked. _'So that's why…' _He smiled fondly. _'Stubborn as always, but still cute!'_

"Well then, otou-san, ooka-san, Ryo-chan and Nanako-san, we will be leaving now," Miyabi said.

"Be careful on the way, Miyabi," Nanjirou recommended.

"See you again next year," Rinko said, hugging her daughter-in-law.

"Here, I made a snack for you. It's your favorite kuri manju (1)," Nanako explained, giving Miyabi the gift she was holding.

"Woa! Thank you, Nanako-san!" Miyabi exclaimed in delight, taking the gift.

"Bye bye, nee-chan. Have a save trip," Ryoma said.

"Take good care of you, Ryoma-chan," Miyabi replied. Ryoga walked to stand next to Miyabi.

"We're off now, kaa-san, oyajii," he said. Nanjirou and Rinko nodded.

Moving to stand in front of Ryoma, Ryoga encircled his arms around her, pulling her in a hug. Ryoma fidgeted, but didn't pull away.

"Take good care of yourself, Ryoma," Ryoga whispered, using her first name. He kissed her forehead. Ryoma's face turned a bright scarlet, but immediately relaxed. After all, she wouldn't be seeing him for a while. Why not just enjoy it for once?

"You too, aniki," Ryoma murmured quietly, returning his hug.

Nanjirou's jaw dropped while Miyabi, Rinko and Nanako giggled.

"No fair…" Nanjirou felt depressed. It would be the very first time that Ryoma didn't kill a guy for getting too close to her when she was PMS-ing. And the lucky bloke was her annoying brother!

End flashback

* * *

Ryoma sighed again at the memory.

"Curse you aniki…" Ryoma mumbled. "How dare you make me miss you…"

Behind Ryoma's back, Rinko was watching her, smiling fondly. Picking up the little female kitten which had been rubbing itself against her leg, Rinko brought it up to the table, putting it down just in front of her daughter. The kitten slowly walked to Ryoma, patting at Ryoma's head with a paw.

"Meow?"

Ryoma jerked her head up to see the pure white snow ball with amber eyes looking curiously at her. Ryoma picked it up in her hand.

"Mii, what is it?" Ryoma asked, bringing the kitten closer to her.

"Meow," Mii answered and lauched on a licking-attack over Ryoma's face with her tiny pink tongue.

"Hahaha!" Ryoma laughed. "Stop it! Hahaha! It tickles!"

"Meow!" Mii happily meow-ed, proud at sucessfully making his mistress laugh.

Smiling at the small fur ball resting in her palms, Ryoma hugged the kitten against her left cheek.

"Arigatou, Mii," Ryoma thanked.

"Meow!"

_SNAP!_

Ryoma startled at the flashlight. She blinked several times before seeing Nanako standing behind Rinko with a camera in her hands.

"Waaaaa! I have a nice shot again!" Nanako proclaimed.

"Oh! Nanako-san, kaa-san!"

"Huhuhu!" Rinko chuckled at Ryoma's disbelieving face. Then, she asked Ryoma with a fond smile, "Are you feeling better now?"

Ryoma blinked, then smiled back.

"Arigatou, kaa-san," she said. Her mother just made her realized that she wasn't the only who was missing someone. Mii too. The kitten must missed her mother, Miyabi's Persian cat, but she still loved being here with Ryoma.

* * *

Flashback

Shortly after the fiançailles, Miyabi came to visit with a friend.

"Ryoma, Karupin, this is Duchess, my friend," Miyabi presented her Persian cat. Duchesse was a pretty white with blond-golden hints fur female cat with amber eyes. Examining the cat for a moment, Ryoma spoke.

"Hmmn, Duchesse is pretty, but Karupin in prettier," Ryoma commented.

"Maeow…" Duchesse turned half slitted eyes toward Ryoma. Ryoma earned herself an offended glare from the pretty white cat while Karupin puffed his chest, swinging his tail proudly.

"Hahahaha!" Miyabi laughed, petting Duchesse to comfort the cat. Miyabi knew very well that in Ryoma's eyes no other cat could surpass Karupin in any way. For Ryoma, even a pure breed cat with many trophies from cat beauty competitions was nothing compared to Karupin. Nonetheless, Karupin and Duchesse became friends.

Ryoma wasn't aware of what cats in France ate, but it seemed to her that Duchesse loved Japanese cat food. Karupin didn't mind sharing his food, but Duchesse ate much more than Karupin did. A couple of months later, Duchesse became very fat. Miyabi didn't mind that Duchesse became a furry walking balloon. In fact, to Ryoma's confusion, Miyabi was quite happy of what became of Duchesse! However, Ryoma was scared that Karupin would become a furry balloon too.

"Karupin, if you become fat like Duchesse, I'll put you on diet!" she threatened Karupin. Karupin glared at her with round blue eyes.

"Meow maow maow? Meow maow," Karupin told her. (What are you talking about? She is not fat.).

* * *

But some weeks later, Duchesse immediately lost her fat belly.

"Nee-chan, how did Duchesse gain and loose weight so fast?" Ryoma asked.

"Oh! You didn't know, Ryoma?" Miyabi asked, surprised.

"Errr, know what?" Ryoma asked back, confused.

"Hahaha! Oh Ryoma, you're so funny!" Miyabi laughed at Ryoma's weird face. "Come with me. I will show you."

Miyabi brought Ryoma into her room to Duchesse's cat bed. Inside the bed, there were six tennis size fur balls of various colors: white, caramel-hue, brown, white and brown spots. All the balls were laid against Duchesse, seeking Duchesse's warmth.

"This is why Duchesse gained and lost weight so fast," Miyabi explained, picking up a pure white fur ball in her hands. "Here, take it."

Miyabi place the furry tennis ball in Ryoma's hand.

"Huh? What?" Ryoma looked curiously at the fur ball. For a fur ball, it was quite warm. And it moved. "It moves? How…?" The little fur ball shifted in her palm. A tiny tail showed up. Followed the tail, there was one small paw, then three others sprouted from under the body of the ball. "What the-…?"

"Meow…" The tiny tennis morphed into a kitten and whimpered because it no longer feel its mother's warmth, frightening the devil out of Ryoma at the same time.

"Waaaaaa!" Ryoma yelped, almost dropping the kitten.

"Hahahaha!" Miyabi laughed and took the kitten from Ryoma to put it back in Duchesse's bed.

Ryoma's yell had woke up Duchesse, who looked annoyed at Ryoma. The little white kitten toddled to Duchesse, searching for a nipple. She was hungry. At the same, she disturbed his brothers' and sisters' sleep, waking them all. Since they woke up, they decided to take their meal too.

"Duchesse was pregnant. That's why she was fat recently. But she just delivered her kittens, that's why she has her normal weight back again," Miyabi explained.

"Oh…" Ryoma looked at the kittens having their meal, dumbfounded. "And who is their father?"

"Can't you tell, Ryoma?" Miyabi asked, smiling amusingly. Ryoma examined the kittens.

"Hmmn…" she chewed her lips. One of the six fur balls caught her attention. "Wait. This one looks like…" Ryoma bended down to watch more closely the kitten. It has white fur coat with the brown spots on the tip of his ears, tail and paws. It looked like a mini version of… "Karupin!" Ryoma exclaimed.

"Hahaha!" Miyabi laughed. "Yes. Karupin is their father. Don't you think that they are adorable?"

"Ha…" Ryoma sighed. It appeared that everybody knew about Duchesse and Karupin, except her. That was why no one minded that Duchesse got inflated so shortly after meeting Karupin.

End flashback

* * *

Before leaving, Miyabi gave Ryoma two kittens: the mini carbon-copy of Karupin, a boy, and the pure white one like Duchesse, a girl. Ryoma named them Karupin's son Kurin and the daughter Mii.

Karupin entered the room with Kurin next to him. Karupin just finished teaching Kurin how to bite Nanjirou's toe again. Seeing Mii snuggled against Ryoma's chest, the two cats made their way to Ryoma and jumped on her, not wanting to be left out when Ryoma distributed her ear-scratching sessions.

"It's almost time to go now, Ryoma," Rinko called out.

"Hai, kaa-san."

Ryoma put the three cats down, despite the protesting meows of the two kittens.

"I must go now, Mii, Kurin," Ryoma explained, caressing their back. "I will play with you again tonight, okay?"

"Meow…" Kurin and Mii whimpered, but stopped protesting.

"Bye, Karupin. See you again after school," Ryoma scratched the big cat's ears.

"Purrrr…"

Ryoma picked her bag and walked to the entrance.

"Here's your bento, Ryoma-chan," Nanako said, giving her the small package after Ryoma had finished putting on her shoes.

"Arigatou, Nanako-san."

"Be careful on the way," Rinko cautioned.

"Hai. Ittekimasu (2)."

* * *

1) kuri manju: steam bun filled with chesnut paste.

2) ittekimasu: I'm going.

Post on Monday June 28. Beta-ed on Saturday July 17.


	78. Appearance

A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update for so long. For a reason I don't understand, right after the last chapter, I couldn't write this story anymore. Every week I opened this chapter to write it, but each time I got a block. I was stuck on my chair, unable to continue it. Now, I'm happy that that writer's block un-blocked. I'm sorry again for the waiting.

Hopely, you will forgive me with this chapter.

* * *

**Seiyou Academy 78. Appearance  
**

Ryoma leaned on the bench, watching the sky, and sighed.

_'It has been two years now,' _she thought.

Yes, it had been two years. Yet, Ryoma felt like it had been twenty years. It had been two years that she didn't see Syuusuke.

After graduation Seiyou Academy, Syuusuke moved to Great Britain to study at Cambridge University. It was a tradition in the Fuji family to have the heir studying abroad, either in Europe or in America, and Syuusuke chose Great Britain. Atobe Keigo too went to Cambridge with him. During these two years, Syuusuke and Ryoma communicated through exchanging letters and not by telephone or by cellphone. Ryoma hated telephone and cellphone because they forced her to talk when she hate speaking. Besides, when Syuusuke was at the end of the other line, he mostly chuckled and listened and didn't talk much. Thus, talking in a telephone or a cellphone for a long conversation was impossible for them. Of course chatting existed, but Ryoma also hate that mode of 'live conversation', so no chatting either. Then, there was email but Ryoma was always lazy to check her mail box. She could let her mails piled up for months without reading one message. The only communication way left was writing letters. Though it was tedious to compose and to write a letter, Ryoma preferred this way. Through letter, Ryoma could talk without having to open her mouth. Syuusuke always responded to all of her letters with the same amount of length and more she send him. And through the letters, Ryoma discovered another sweet and caring side of Syuusuke she didn't know he had.

During these last two years, Ryoma had lunch with Syuusuke's parents, Sennosuke and Seri every Sunday, and have Sunday after noon tea with Syuusuke's grandmother. She was also asked to call Sennosuke and Seri 'otou-sama' and 'okaa-sama' as well as calling Syuusuke's grandmother 'obaa-sama'. Of course, Touga and Sora would always come up with the best reasons (excuses) - and the weirdest as well - to go to their grandparents' house whenever Ryoma was there.

Sennosuke and Seri wanted to know what was the latest news their son send to Ryoma because Syuusuke's letters content to them differed greatly from Ryoma's. One day, Ryoma showed them some of her letters from Syuusuke. After reading them, Seri smiled and said:

"Anata, Syuusuke has a writing talent like you."

Seri remembered that she first fall in love with her husband through his writing. Many years ago, when Sennosuke was courting her, he send her everyday a letter to read. Seri had preciously keep all of Sennosuke's letters. And apparently, today, Syuusuke was courting Ryoma in the same way Sennosuke did to her.

"Oh. Maybe I should suggest him to write a book one of these days and have him to give it to you, Ryoma," Sennosuke said, chuckling.

"Huh? Why would I want a book? I don't read book," Ryoma said, dumbfound. Seri and Sennosuke only chuckled. They remembered when Sennosuke made his marriage proposal to Seri. He had give her the first and only book he ever wrote in his life and Seri had him waiting for her answer for seven days so she could read the book.

"But don't you think that he write wonderfully? Don't you enjoy reading his letters, Ryoma?" Seri mysteriously asked. Ryoma blushed.

"Er, yes I do…" Ryoma mumbled. Seri's smile grew wider.

_'How did she know?'_ Ryoma wondered. How did Seri knew that Ryoma always re-read over again and again Syuusuke's letters every night before going to sleep? It was supposed to be a secret and Ryoma doubted that Karupin, Mii or even Kurin would tell anyone her secret.

But for some reasons, Syuusuke had stopped sending Ryoma his letters the last three months. Ryoma became wary about it and wanted to know why. Though she acted that she didn't care about it, she still felt worried. Finally today, Ryoma had decided to ask Seri and Sennosuke if they had any idea about that.

"Hum… Otou-sama, okaa-sama, there is something I wanted to ask you about," Ryoma said. Seri put down her cup of tea and Sennosuke looked at her.

"Yes, what is it, Ryoma?" Seri asked.

"Well, it's about Syuusuke's letters…" Ryoma started. "For the last three months… I… I… hmn…" Ryoma squirmed in her chair, biting her lips. Her last letter from Syuusuke was the day of her graduation at Seiyou Academy. After that day, nothing. Ryoma bite her lips and looked down at the hands in her laps. Seri softly eyed the young girl.

"Ryoma, when are you going to start university again?" Seri asked.

Taken by surprise by the strange question, Ryoma looked up at Seri. Seri already knew when Ryoma would start university and there was not a chance on Earth that Seri would forget about anything! So why Seri was asking her that obvious question? Nonetheless, Ryoma answered.

"In two weeks," Ryoma said. And she became sad. She looked away outside the the window of the restaurant they were eating at. She had wished that Syuusuke would write her something to give her his encouragements. Unknown to her, Seri and Sennosuke exchanged a secret smile. They knew something about Syuususke's missing letters.

* * *

_Dring dring dring._

Rinko picked up the phone.

"Moshi moshi," Rinko said. Rinko heard a chuckle at the other line.

"Huhuhu! Rinko-san, it's me. Ryoma finally spoke," Seri said.

"Ah! About time!" Rinko exclaimed, also chuckling. "I was wondering how long she could stand it. She was so tensed lately."

"I wish I could tell her about _it_ just to make her feel better, but Syuusuke had insisted so much to keep _it_ secret," Seri said.

"Poor Ryoma. She would have to endure it two weeks more. It's already very hard for her. And Nanjirou here isn't helping either. He kept sulking around the house and I always fear that Ryoma might become suspicious. Maybe we shouldn't have tell him about _it_," Rinko said.

"It can't be help. He is Ryoma's father after all."

"Ha…" Rinko sighed. Seri continued.

"I have been thinking about something," Seri said. "Touga and Sora will to an onsen with Yumiko and Kouki and I think Ryoma should go with them. Changing air her would certainly make her feel better. Touga and Sora have been complaining that they didn't often see her lately because we didn't want them to stress Ryoma more than she was already."

Rinko smiled.

"That's very thoughtful, Seri. Thank you," Rinko said. Seri chuckled.

"Plus, this will make it easier for us to do the last preparations," Seri said.

"Hahaha! Indeed," Rinko agreed.

* * *

Two weeks later. Echizen household.

Today was a Monday morning like every Monday mornings at the Echizen house. Nanjirou was reading the newspapers. Rinko was cooking meals and Nanako was packing bento boxes for Ryoma and for herself. Miyabi and Ryoga, who stopped by the house during the week-end, were also there. Miyabi was helping Nanako to make Ryoma's bento. Miyabi wanted to learn to cook Japanese foods and she asked Rinko and Nanako to teach her, which Rinko and Nanako happily did. Miyabi had started from the basic and was now helping Nanako to make Ryoma's bento box. Lately, Miyabi came up with a new whim. She wanted to make Ryoma gradually appreciate French cuisine 'to expend Ryoma's horizons to other cuisines', as she said. Rinko and Nanako thought it was a good (and funny) idea so they agreed to let Miyabi sneaking French food in Ryoma's bento box.

At first, Ryoma was wary of the weird thingy which doesn't look at all like a Japanese food in her bento. She thought that maybe her sister made some mistakes in the recipe because the thingy didn't look any where near Japanese food to her. But since the weird thingy was small compare to the proportion of _recognizable_ Japanese foods, Ryoma didn't mind eating it. After all, Miyabi woke up very early to make it for her. Ryoma didn't want to disappoint Miyabi. Though why there was always a weird thingy in her box was beyond Ryoma's comprehension. Miyabi was a smart girl. There was no way she would make mistake every time!

On the other hand, Miyabi, Rinko and Nanako had a lot of funs sneaking new kind of French food in Ryoma's bento box. Every times, Miyabi changed for a new recipe so Ryoma would have a taste of various French cuisine food. And this morning, Miyabi enjoyed more than ever making Ryoma's bento. Yesterday, Ryoma had admitted that she liked Miyabi's cooking. That was when Miyabi revealed that it was French food, making Ryoma gawking in horror. Her sister had her eating French food. And with the complicity of her mother and her cousin! What an abomination to the world! And she had told Miyabi that she liked it. Yet, what Ryoma said after made Miyabi feel happier.

* * *

Flashback.

Yesterday night.

"Well, if it's you who cook, then I don't mind eating French food," Ryoma shyly mumbled, her face red. Miyabi happily smiled.

"Awww! That was so cute, Ryoma-chan!" Nanako cooed while Rinko chuckled.

"Arigatou, Ryoma," Miyabi said, smiling.

End flashback

* * *

Miyabi chuckled again at the memory.

_'That was so adorable from her,'_ she thought.

Two people walked down from the first floor. It was Ryoga and Ryoma.

"Come on, Chibisuke. Today is your first day at the university and you were still over sleeping. I knew I should have been here this morning! Now hurry to eat your breakfast. You don't want to be late," Ryoga said as he dragged a sleepy head Ryoma down the stair. Mii and Kurin rushed between their legs toward the milk plate Nanako was putting down for them. Karupin took his time to climb down the stair with his mistress.

"Hmnm…" Ryoma groaned. Rinko chuckled.

"Ohayou, Ryoma," Rinko said.

"Ohayou, Ryoma-chan," Miyabi and Nanako added.

"Ohayou," Ryoma responded, yawning loudly as she sat down at the family table. Nanjirou fold his newspapers and spoke.

"Bishoujo, you are a student university starting today and it was Ryoga who woke you up again this morning. When will you ever grow up?" Nanjirou said.

"I will grow up when you will decide to grow up yourself," Ryoma retorted.

"_Nani? !_" Nanjirou bellowed and threw her dead glares, but Ryoma ignored him and took her rice bowl. Nanako and Miyabi chuckled as Ryoga ignored them and poured himself a cup of black coffee. At the stove, Rinko secretly smiled. As childish as Nanjirou might be, he stirred Ryoma's old self back.

_'He too must have notice that Ryoma wasn't well lately,'_ Rinko fondly thought. Then she remembered today's date. _'_He_ must be on his way back by now.'_

As if it was a cue, the door bell rang.

_Ding dong._

"Huh? Who could it be so soon in the morning?" Ryoga wondered.

"Ryoma, can you open the door please?" Rinko asked.

"Hai."

Ryoma put her chop sticks down and stood up to open the door.

"Yes? What is-…?" Ryoma shut when she saw who was standing in front of her, gawking. It was _him_.

Hearing nothing from the front door, the family became curious. They stopped what they were doing and gathered at the entrance to see what was happening. They all gasped when they saw who was at the door. It was him.

Meanwhile, Ryoma still didn't say anything to greet the guest. It was _him_. Him and not him at the same time. He was still taller than her. His hair were still brunette. He still had his eternal smile on his lips. And his eyes were still permanently close. Yet, he had grew few more inches, much to Ryoma's disarray. His shoulder were broad now and his demeanour was imposing. _He_ was no longer a mature boy he was before. He was… Ryoma looked at him, completely drawn by his aura.

_'He is a man now,'_ Ryoma thought.

"S-S-Syuu-…" Ryoma stuttered, unable to finish his name.

Syuusuke gracefully smiled. Slowly, he opened his eyes to look down at the petite woman standing in front of him.

"Ryoma," Syuusuke softly said her name.

Ryoma had changed too. She looked less childish than the last time he saw her. She had let her hair grow to her shoulder length - it was Miyabi's doing. She wasn't huffing her torso like a boy anymore. She looked more… feminine than before. Again, it was thanks to Miyabi's influence.

"Ryoma," Syuusuke repeated again, lacing tenderness in her name. How he missed to see her. How he missed to have her so near to him. All he had to do was extended his arms and he could touch her.

Ryoma bite her lips, feeling tears forming in her eyes. On the verge of letting her sadness and her anger escaped, Ryoma shut her eyes close. It has been months that she didn't have any news of him. It had been months that he didn't answer to any of her letters. She even resolved herself to send email, but he didn't respond either. And now, he was there, standing in front of her, smiling as if nothing wrong had ever happened.

_BAAAAAAAAAAAM!_

Ryoma slammed the door in Syuusuke's face, startling the whole family. The family was expecting to see interesting development between Syuusuke and Ryoma, but they didn't expect this. Ryoma ran inside to grabbed her satchel and her bento box, put her shoes, opened again the door and ran pass Syuusuke as if he wasn't there.

"Ah! Ryoma!" Syuusuke called, but she didn't turn back. Soon, she disappeared at the corner of the street. "Ryoma…"

Rinko walked to him.

"Let her be for a while, Syuusuke. She is still shocked," Rinko said. "And I didn't expect to see you so soon in the morning."

Syuusuke closed his eyes.

"I knew appearing in front of her this morning would turn out bad, but I couldn't wait anymore," Syuusuke said. "It has been so long."

Rinko smiled, understanding.

"Come inside and let's talk," Rinko invited him in.

"Hai. Thank you," Syuusuke said and followed Rinko in the house.

* * *

Update on Monday August 31, 2010. Unbeta-ed.

A/N: Quick note. In Japanese, "miyabi" means "refinement" and "elegance". I thought it would be interesting to share this with you.


	79. Explanation

A/N:

Hello again,

It had been quite a long time since I last updated. I have no excuses for why. It just happened because of a conjecture of different events: first a writer block, next a lost of inspiration and lastly starting university (which, for who had experimented it, is quite demanding on your energy and free times). Also, seeing so many people enjoying this story, I became worried that I might disappoint you if I don't update a good chapter. That insecurity made me lost my confidence and I got struck with a block. I tried what I could to remove that insecure feeling and tried to write time by time. However, it was like the insecurity kept plaguing me. Then, one of the reviews showed up, one that sound as the reviewer was very annoyed and/or pissed off. Because of that, I considered that I was already at the bottom of the lake, so it wouldn't hurt to try again since I have nothing else to lose abymore. So I re-opened this story again. There are still 2 to 4 chapters left for this story. I will do my best to finish it, for you of course, but also for myself because I don't like leaving Seiyou Academy unfinished since I put so much of myself into it to create it. Please enjoy until the last word.

N.B.: Unbeta-ed. For Japanese, see the reminding below this chapter.

* * *

A reminder of what happened until now.

The Echizen family decided to move back to Japan on a whim of Echizen Nanjirou. Echizen Ryoma, the youngest child of the family, applied to Seiyou Academy and won a scholarship. She chose Seiyou for one good reason: it was the first seed school of Japan junior tennis players. She hoped to improve in tennis because she had always been the shadow of her father, Samurai Nanjirou from the land of sakura, and of her brother, a tennis star player. Ryoma aspired that Seiyou would gave her what she need to beat her father and her brother some day in tennis.

Seiyou Academy tennis club consisted of three teams named Seigaku, Hiyotei and Rikkaidai. Despite being only a freshman, Ryoma immediately caught the attention of the regulars with her skills. It was clear that Echizen Ryoma wasn't an ordinary tennis player. As a matter of fact, she won over two regulars and earned herself a place among the regulars. The captains of the three teams, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Yukimua Seiichi and Atobe Keigo, had taken upon themselves to properly nurture such a young and fresh talent. However, the captains faced a big problem: Ryoma's personality.

Considering that Ryoma chose Seiyou for its tennis, she naturally pour herself into tennis. Literally. She thought tennis. She breathed tennis. She ate tennis. Basically, she read, wrote, talked, dreamed and watched tennis. It was (blatant) clear that for Echizen Ryoma, the whole universe revolved solely around tennis. The captains were happy that she was so dedicated to tennis, but her personality was an issue for the team members. She didn't want to mingle with the members of her team or with the other teams. Seiyou regulars tennis team was the strongest of Tokyo, if not Japan. However, a team implied that more than one person is involved. Everyone have to work together to enhance every single member's ability. In Ryoma's case, tennis stood alone and above everything. Anything that had no link with tennis was good to be discarded away. Getting along with the regulars as a tennis player, Ryoma had no problem with them. On the other hand, getting along with the regulars as a friend was no-no. If someone dared trying to speak to her about anything unrelated to tennis, she would shoot them a Stay-out-of-my-way-to-play-tennis-unless-you-don't-want-to-die-this-very-next-seconde glare.

When she played tennis, she was there with the regulars, body _and_ mind. But outside of the tennis club, she royally ignored them (unless they dressed themselves in a human size racket costume and human size tennis ball, which was unlikely to happen!). Well, there was still an exception or two where she paid attention to them, like when some not-so-bright regulars (AKA Kirihara and company) decided to attack/feast on her homemade bento (1). In these cases, Echizen Ryoma would paid attention as in I'm-so-going-to-kill-you-for-eating-my-mom's-cooking-I-was-looking-forward-to-enjoy to those soon-to-be-murdered regulars.

Ironically, despite Ryoma's unsocial personality, she possessed a strange power to free people from their struggles and darkness. That was why so many people were attracted to her, especially the regulars. Alas for them, Echizen Ryoma absolutely hated to be a people magnet. During practices, the three captains were often lacked of some regulars because one female freshman had a tendency to send off the said-regulars in the hospital wing of the school. For example, one regular among the bunch of the far-from-being-bright regulars (example: Kirihara, Kikumaru) liked (loved!) to glomp (suffocate) our favourite heroine more than once every hour. Sadly for him and for them, little Ryoma loved to breathe and to have her lungs filled with oxygen. So, in order to be able to enjoy Mother Nature's wonderful creation called O2, Ryoma often kicked off the glompers/suffocaters in the sky, sending them sightseeing the school roof. And when the send-off regulars returned back after their short trip above the sky, they ended in the infirmary. Also, Ryoma couldn't understand why after so many times being thrown out in the sky, those guys still didn't catch that she wished to be spared from their nonstop desire to physically express her how much they loved her, for her own sanity and for their good. Ryoma's personality sure gave a headache to the captains, particularly to her immediate buchou, Tezuka Kunimitsu. She had him grow white hair ever since she became Seigaku team (baby) regular.

As she interacted daily with the regulars, Ryoma came (was forced) to understand that she could improve only if she learned to rely on other people. From a very young age, Ryoma thought that she could only depend on herself to develop her skills. Heck, asking the help of her (mean) brother or her (annoying) father had always got her being tease by them, which why she preferred to rely solely on herself. On the other hand, since she did such a good job to become her own coach, she lost the ability to come in contact with other. She was antisocial in every cells of her body. But Seiyou tennis club changed her. She learned how to live with other people around her (not that she had a choice since the guys literally glue themselves on her whenever they had a chance to). She learned to admit the limit of her capacity and learned to relay on other people because she had come to care for other people, such as her buchou (2). She had also learned to care for other people. And she had also learned to care for someone in a special way, particularly for a cerulean tensai (3). She just never knew that her feelings were responding to a certain senpai's (4) feelings.

Ryoma never intended to have sweet feeling for anyone and Syuusuke certainly never thought that he would be drawn to a freshman who came from the common population. At the first glance, he even despite her. However, various circumstances rose to create a story between them. When they didn't want to have anything to do with the other, Life forced them to always be together. And when they had admit their feelings for each other, Life forced them to be apart. Syuusuke left her for two years.

Two years later, he suddenly popped in front of her when she wasn't expecting anything. For welcoming him back, she slammed the door in his face.

* * *

**Seiyou Academy 79. Explanation**

"Sniff!" Ryoma wiped her nose. She was still furious. What did he think she was going to do? Not giving any news for months, making her hope crumbled into dust of hearing anything from him, leaving her sink in despair, then suddenly popped up from nowhere in front of her. Did he think that she would welcome him with her open arms after everything he did to her? What an idiot!

"Syuusuke no baka! (5)" Ryoma hastily wiped the tears blinding her sight and hurry. She didn't the person in front of her and they bumped.

"Ouch!" Ryoma yelped and fall on her behind. But before she hit the ground, she was pulled upward and an arm circled her waist to keep her steady. Ryoma sighed, relieved.

"Thank-..." she stopped when she meet with cerulean eyes. It was Syuusuke. Ryoma jerked a step back away from him. "What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"Ryoma, I..."

"Never mind!" Ryoma cut him. "Leave me alone!" She pushed him aside and walked away.

"Ryoma, wait!" Syuusuke called, but Ryoma didn't stop. She made it quite obvious that she didn't want him to fallow her. His shoulders slumbered.

"It is your own fault, Fuji. You should have explained everything clearly to her," a voice said behind him. Syuusuke turned around to see old friends. It was Sanada would talk to him.

"Sanada, Tezuka," Syuusuke said. Tezuka and Sanada nodded in respond.

"Now, how are you going to make her listening to you?" Tezuka asked. Syuusuke couldn't answer.

* * *

In her classroom.

"Sniff! Baka, baka, baka no Syuusuke!" Ryoma wiped her tears. She blew in her handkerchief and pocketed it.

He was a prick, but she wasn't going to let him ruin her day. Ryoma choose a seat near the window and settled down. She opened her bag to take out her notebook, preparing for the lecture to start.

"Ryoma," someone called. Ryoma turned her head to see brunette young man standing next her.

"What!" She jumped in her chair. "What are you doing here?" Ryoma snapped.

"Echizen, don't be so rude. You are now a university student. Behave as one," Sanada, who was there as well with Tezuka, scowled his former kouhai (6).

"Sanada-senpai…" Ryoma mumbled.

"Echizen, I understand that you are upset, but you mustn't let yourself being affected to the bad side of the situation," Tezuka said. Ryoma bite her lip, the lowed her head ashamedly.

"Hai, buchou…" Ryoma obediently trailed.

A tiny smile stretched Tezuka's lips. Technically, Tezuka Kunimitsu stopped being Ryoma's buchou from the moment he graduated from Seiyou Academy. However, for Ryoma, he was her buchou for the rest of her life. Whenever she referred him as her captain, it remained Tezuka that there were still people who look up at him as their model and that he would never fail their expectation in his every gestures and decisions. As for Syuusuke, he was happy that Sanada and Tezuka helped him to subdue Ryoma. Despite being parted after they had graduated Seiyou Academy, Sanada and Tezuka still hold a strong influence on Ryoma. Thanks to them, Ryoma didn't run away from him. But that didn't stop her from throwing daggers to him with her angry eyes.

"And what are you doing here? How did you know in which class I am?" Ryoma asked. Tezuka and Sanada looked at each other, and then simultaneously sighed.

"Yagyuu," they answered.

"Yes? Someone says my name?" the mentioned person appeared between Tezuka and Sanada. The group switched their attention to the lilac hair megane (7) young man.

"Argggggh! Onii-sama, doshite aitsu ni oshiete kuretanda? ! (8)" Ryoma asked angrily.

Ever since she became Ryoga's ward as an Yuuji, she also became Yagyuu Hiroshi's younger cousin. Having one big brother as guardian was already annoying, but two, it was really painful. Hiroshi-nii-sama (9) always knew everything about her, what she does or what she plan to do. He knew her too well. He even knew thing about her that she herself doesn't know. Even if Ryoma admitted herself that Hiroshi-nii-sama was less a pain than Ryoga - because unlike Ryoga, Hiroshi-nii-sama had a brain and know how to use it -, sometimes she really wished that she could had some secret that she alone know.

"I didn't tell him anything, Ryoma-chan. It was him who blackmailed Ryou for the information," Yagyuu explained. He turned next to Syuusuke. "Fuji, that was some excellent blackmail. Now, you tell me how you did it so I can use it on that baka cousin of mine! I must make him pay. He dared to run away and dumped on my back the ruckus he left behind again!"

"Oh." Syuusuke wondered if it was a good idea telling Yagyuu how he got Ryoma's schedule from her big brother. On the other hand, he was grateful to Yagyuu because Yagyuu had diverted Ryoma's anger away from him. She was now angry at her baka aniki.

"Grrrrrrrrr…" Ryoma's eyes flared red. Then she exploded. _"AHOU _(10)_ NO BAKA NO ANIKI _(11)_! YOU'RE SO DEAD! HOW COULD YOU LET YOURSELF BE BLACKMAILED BY HIM! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU HEARD ME! I'M SO GOING TO KILL YOU, ANIKI! JUST WAIT AND SEE ME!" _Ryoma roared so loud that everyone in a radius of 100 meters around the school could hear her.

Yagyuu, who had his cellphone opened, spoke to the person on the other line.

"You heard her, Ryou?" Yagyuu asked. Alas, the only answer he got was:

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! I really didn't mean to be blackmailed! Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Someone save me, pleeeeeeeeeease! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

_THUD!_ Ryoga dropped the phone and ran away.

"Hum? Ryou? Moshi moshi?" Yagyuu asked. Someone else picked up the line.

"Huhuhuhu! Hiroshi, this is Miyabi. Ryoga ran outside, yelling, and he climbed on the top of tree in the backyard. He's too scare to think rationally. Now, I'm sorry to cut so soon, but I have to get him down. Huhuhu!" Miyabi giggled.

"Of course. I understand. See you next time," Yagyuu said, closing his cellphone.

The little distraction provided by Ryoga gave time to Syuusuke to straight himself. He had decided; he would talk with her and she would listen to him.

"Ryoma, I think we should talk now. Will you come with me, please?" Syuusuke asked.

"No! I don't wa-…"

"Yes, she will," Tezuka answered at Ryoma's place.

"Huh? What? Buchou, you can't mean-..."

"Echizen, you need to hear him. I agreed that he was the one at fault, but nothing will progress between the two of you two don't talk together," Tezuka said. Ryoma bite her lips. Tezuka had spoken. Wether she liked it or not, she would have to do what he told her. "Go now," Tezuka told her nicely. Ryoma lowed her head, but nodded nonetheless.

Syuusuke nodded thankfully to Tezuka. He grabbed Ryoma's hand and led her to somewhere they could talk in private.

* * *

Syuusuke and Ryoma were walking in Ueno Park. More precisely, Ryoma was walking in front (running) to avoid Syuusuke while the later followed her. Though he walked slowly, the distance between the two of them remained the same because Ryoma's shortness was a disadvantage against Syuusuke's long ones. Ryoma was still fuming, that was why Syuusuke gave her some space despite his desire to take her in his arms.

_'She is still very upset against me,'_ Syuusuke understood as he watched the girl in front of him. She was walking (more likely stomping the ground) very fast ahead to keep distant between them, but her shorter legs couldn't compete against his long ones. After what seemed to be an eternity for Syuusuke, he decided that it was time they talked.

"Ryoma," he called. No answer from the girl. Maybe she didn't hear him?

"Ryoma," he called again. Still no answer. Probably she didn't hear him.

"Ryo-"

"STOP IT! I HEAR YOU ALREADY!" Ryoma spun around and snapped.

Syuusuke shut and only watched her. Even in anger, she was still beautiful in his eyes. In fact, she was more beautiful than he remembered her to be. These two years apart from her had really turned her into a lovely young woman. She lost her baby fat cheek, the line of her figure was more defined, making her eyes looked bigger. She let her hair grow down to mid-back. No one could mistake her for a boy anymore. The little duck he fell for had turn into a lovely swan. Her appearance changed, but also her being. Echizen Ryoma was no longer the young girl who only think about tennis, about her cat Karupin and about Ponta and food. Now, she thought like a young woman, like a young woman in anger.

"What is wrong with you? You left for two years far away. For two months, you didn't answer to my letters. You gave no news about you. All that time, I was worrying that something bad happened to you. Then, one morning, you show up in my front door as nothing happen. Were you expecting me to welcome you open arms? You..."

And Ryoma went on rampage, releasing all the stress she built up the past months in a long and eternal speech. While she talked, Ryoma had no idea what she was walking about. Words and anger and sadness just stumbled out of her mouth without herself having control over them. But it wasn't like that what to control what her mouth want to say.

Meanwhile, Syuusuke listened to her. He listened to her sadness and angriness, as well as the all nonsense she was saying. He knew she didn't know exactly what she was saying, but he understood her feelings. The more he listened to her, the more he realized he had upset her more than he believed he did.

"What do you-...?" Ryoma was still rumbling, waving furiously her fist to him.

As she waved her fist to him, she approached him to give a clearer idea of her anger. But the closer she got to him, the harder it was for Syuusuke to keep control on himself.

_'It's been so long since we were this near each other,'_ Syuusuke thought. And he wanted her even closer to him, against him. And he would use all the means he need to use to get what he wanted. Syuusuke grabbed one of her flying first and used it to pull her to him. He closed an arm around her waist and imprisonned her against him. Then, he descended his lips to cover hers in an demanding kiss.

"Mmmnomfffph!" Ryoma fight to be released, but Syuusuke kept a firm grip on her. He used his right hand to immobilize her head so he could have a better access to her mouth. Eventually, Ryoma stopped fighting and even returned his kiss.

After a long time, they finally separated.

"Ryoma, you are no longer a little girl like when I first met you. You have become a woman. That was why I have to leave before I might do anything that both of us would regret later. That was why I didn't write you anything for the past two months," Syuusuke whispered in her ear. "Exchanging letters between us was no longer enough for me. I want more. I want to hold you against me."

* * *

Flashback

Syuusuke never wanted to hurt Ryoma's feelings. He put a distance between himself and her because he thought it was the best thing to do for her. Or he believed so.

Ryoma was younger than him and quite naive by time. He knew very well that he hold an immense influence over her, something that might blind her from seeing the reality about him and around her. He thought that since Ryoma only had eyes for him, she couldn't see that there were probably other young man who could be better for her them himself. Of course, he was immensely happy that she had chosen him, but that was because Ryoma had never laid her eyes on other guy. Syuususke wanted her to choose him _with_ the knowledge that other guy existed. That was why he left away to England. Syuusuke wanted Ryoma to clear her eyes with his picture and so she could the good in his potential rivals for her heart.

But there was another reason behind the noble intention Syuusuke had for Ryoma. Up to now, despite being girlfriend and boyfriend, there had never taken any step ahead. Their date mostly consisted of enjoying a meal in a restaurant, but they were never the two of them alone. There was always a third party: sometime, it was with the regulars, other times it was with family members (Ryoga and Miyabi, Syuusuke's parents, Ryoma's parents, Syuusuke's sister and her children...).

When she was still fifteen, Ryoma's appearance was quite average, nothing very special aside her eye color. But as she reached her sixteen, her feature softened. Day by day, she became less and less a tomboy and more and more a young woman. Her chest area finally decided to show itself and Ryoma grew her dainty curves. Ryoma only gained a couple of inches over the years, but her love for tennis gave her leaned legs and arms. She had also become more feminine under her sister-in-law Miyabi's influence. She accepted to wear anything Miyabi bought for her (but nothing her brother bought for her!). Miyabi had more success than Rinko when it was time to change Ryoma's wardrobe. As Syuusuke saw Ryoma turned into a woman day by day, it was more and more difficult for him to content himself with a platonic relationship. He wanted more from her. However, since Ryoma was very far away from her eighteen, Syuusuke doubted that he could wait so long for her to reach the right age and not doing anything between that time. So before he might do something unforgivable, he flew to England.

End flashback

* * *

He should have known Ryoma wouldn't welcome him with open arms after what he did to her. However, he didn't think that she would be so angry.

* * *

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ.  
**

**To whom this may concern**,

I have been made aware that there are people who were posting my fanfic as their own on other fanfiction communities, claiming that they are the author as well. Those people just copied and pasted this fanfic on their account under the form of a hundred percent plagiarism. Please, I will ask the concerned people to remove my fanfic from your publishing account or give me back my credits. I will tell you that it is not at your advantage that you keep claiming my fanfic is yours. As you must be aware, there is more than one person reading my fanfictions. You run a very high risk of being reported and I don't believe you would like that. I don't want to imagine what might happen to you in that case. I leave it to your imagination. Also, people who read this story from the beginning know that my grammar isn't the best. Claiming my story with its bad grammar will discredit you even if your grammar is better than mine. So again, please, remove my story from your account or give me back my credits.

Sincerely yours,  
Plush

* * *

Update on Friday, June 24, 2011. Unbeta-ed.

1) bento: lunch box;

2) buchou: captain;

3) tensai: genius;

4) senpai: upperclassman;

5) baka: idiot, more commonly use in Tokyo. 'Syuusuke no baka' meant 'Idiot of Syuusuke';

6) kouhai: underclassman;

7) megane: glasses;

8) Onii-sama, doshite aitsu ni oshiete kuretanda?: Big brother, why did you tell him? 'Onii-sama' is a very polite way to say 'big brother'. It also be applied to older male cousins or simply to a boy older than you and whom you look up as a model or a big brother

9) Hiroshi-nii-sama (Hiroshi-onii-sama): big brother Hiroshi, respectful language;

10) ahou: idiot, more commonly use in Oosaka;

11) aniki: big brother, casual language.


	80. HELP!

**HELP!**

That's it.

Help. _Help!_ **H_EEEEEEEEEEE_LP!**

I need help!**  
**

I must come to face the fact (quite late I admit) that I cannot do it on my own. I get stuck at the chapter 80. I find it so bad that I refuse to post it until I can make it into something acceptable. Despite all my efforts, the result is just not worthy. So here I'm calling for your help.

Please, help me complete this story. You have any idea, suggestion, wish to see the story ending in a way or in another, please send them to me. Please help me get out of this blankness of my head!

Please, I beg you to help me,

Your (desperated) Plush

Saturday, Decembre 24, 2011.


	81. It's About Time!

A/N: What do you want me to say after such a long absence? But since I don't want to explain anything, so deal with it. Ha!

A/N 2: Un-beta'd.

* * *

From last time...

"Ryoma, you are no longer a little girl like when I first met you. You have become a woman. That was why I have to leave before I might do something both of us might regret later. That was why I didn't write you anything for the past two months," Syuusuke whispered in her ear. "Exchanging letters between us was no longer enough for me. I want something more."

* * *

**Seiyou Academy 80. It's About Time!**

But Ryoma wouldn't speak with him or to listen to him. She was still too furious. She wasn't good using words while he was a words master extraordinary. She hated to start a battle of words with Syuusuke when she was in disadvantage. If she had accepted, it meant that she already conceded him victory. Thus she refused to speak or to listen to him. The only way to settle this problem that she accepts was a tennis match.

Syuusuke opened his cerulean orbs to watch the opponent facing him on the other side of the court.

"Ryoma, before we start the match, I want to settle the winning price."

"Already? You are very confident about winning. In case you have forget. You didn't play tennis for two years while I still train myself here. My skills are far above than it was the two years ago."

"..." Syuusuke didn't reply.

She was right. He had stopped training in tennis for competition since he came to the United Kingdom. He only played a game or two with Keigo on occasional event, but nothing more. On the other hand, Ryoma kept playing for competitions, and he knew how fast Ryoma develop her skills. However, for this one game, Syuusuke had something else that Ryoma didn't have. He had a very clear purpose to win this game while Ryoma only want to win in order to avoid listening or talking to him.

"The one who will lost this game will have to do one thing the winner ask," Syuusuke simply said.

Ryoma raised an eye brow. It was a very simple victory purpose, and an obvious thing to do as well. She didn't see where it might be a problem.

"Fine." Ryoma accepted.

* * *

Outside the court, some spectators were gathered to watch the game.

"Hum, it's a bad mistake you just made there, Ryoma-chan, a very bad one." Yukimura said.

"You underestimate his will to win against you, Ryoma," Keigo said.

"Indeed," Hiroshii agreed, looking at Ryoma. "Syuusuke is taking advantage of his maturity over her. In a way, it is not a fair game because he is playing a psychological game—and a game of words while he knew she is very bad at those—while Ryoma think it is only a simple game. But then again, Ryoma must know better than anyone else to be careful when playing against Fuji Syuusuke in an unofficial game. Unlike the games he plays in competition, which purpose is only to win for the school you are representing, this game holds another meaning to win for him."

"But as she stated, Fuji didn't play in any competition for the last two years and didn't polish any of his skills as well," Niou said.

"Hmm, nonetheless, it would be an interesting game," Marui said. The others spectators agreed with him.

"By the way, buchou, you fly back from America only for _this_?" Kirihara asked Yukimura.

"Huhuhu!" Yukimura only chuckled as answer. Of course he had other reason for flying back to Japan, but he didn't need to tell Kirihara. And like Ryoma, Kirihara too cannot call his former buchou with anything other than "buchou". But Yukimura doubted that it was the same reason than Ryoma had for keeping calling Tezuka "buchou". It was only simply easier for Kirihara to keep calling Yukimura buchou because it's the limit his (missing) brain cells allowed him to do.

"Echizen Ryoma against Fuji Syuusuke, one set game. Echizen to serve." Tezuka called from his referee seat.

Syuusuke prepared himself to receive the first ball. Meaning while, he remembered why he had so hastily fly back to Japan.

Flashback

* * *

As Keigo and Syuusuke were doing their next assignment paper, Syuusuke opened his monthly letter from his parents.

_Syuusuke,_

_Otousan and okasan (1) heard it from Keigo-kun. We are very proud of your accomplishment at Cambridge. Congratulations for being the first one of your promotion. Why didn't you tell us yourself? Okasan knows you don't like to brawl about yourself, but I would like to know the news from you and not from a third party. You know how Keigo... has a special way to announce importance news of this scale _(Syuusuke chuckled, having a very clear idea of Keigo's glamorous way to do things)_. And like always, your father is chuckling in his corner, meaning that he knew something like that would happened but didn't think about telling me._

_Here in Japan, our life is quietly passing. Touga-kun and Sora-chan are gaining height day by day. While Sora-chan is obedient to all of us, Touga-kun kept complaining_ _when we tell him to do his homework? He used to listen to no one except you. After you left, he gives us very hard times. However, when Ryoma-chan tell him to finish his homework, he would immediately obey her. At the same time, it is because Ryoma-chan wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. No offense to you, my son, but I think Ryoma-chan make a better tutor to Touga-kun and Sora-chan than you do. She is strict where you are lenient. She seriously teaches the children where you would make up game to evade their mind. And yes, Touga-kun and Sora-chan know you were to easy on them. They are too bright for their own good, just like you when you were young. Too much seriousness for such small children. Maybe you were a bad influence on them, Syuusuke? _(Syuusuke chuckled again) _As far as I know, you now have lost your place of "the best teacher in the world" to Ryoma in Touga-kun's and Sora-chan's heart _(Syuusuke laughed at this one)_. _

_Ever since Ryom-chan started tutoring them, Touga-kun and Sora-chan performed magnificently at school. At the last parents meeting, their French teacher was crying of joy for their sudden enthusiasm and progress. Sora-chan had declared that she wants to know many languages like Ryoma-chan does. Oh well, your father and I too think that Ryoma-chan makes a better tutor to them than you, Syuusuke_ (Syuusuke sudden burst of laugh made Keigo ticked an eye brow in curiosity).

_Now, Syuusuke, let's start talking about something serious. __It's about Ryoma-chan._

* * *

The last two years far away from Ryoma was bearable for Syuusuke. He could not see her in person every day, but exchanging letters with her had strengthened the bound between them. However, as Ryoma was approaching her eighteen birthday, it was becoming more and more difficult for him. Every single day that brought Ryoma closer to her majority was like a torture for him. It was like he was put in front of his favorite sweet, but it was a forbidden fruit to him.

In the letter his parents send him, his mother included a set of Ryoma pictures. There was one picture that makes Syuusuke lost his head. It was a picture took by the maids Aoko and Kaoko.

Ryoma was soon to graduate from Seiyou Academy. Miyabi got excited because she absolutely wanted to take care of Ryoma's prom outfit. Her excitement even wins over Nanako and Rinko, who didn't want to be left aside for the event. The three women often fathered around tones of fashion magazines to search inspiration for Ryoma's dress. Miyabi wanted the dress to be costumed made and was absolutely firmed about that. Ryoma made that mistake to say that any dress would be fine since it would be wear only for a night. She had set Miyabi and Nanako on fire to find _THE_ dress. Ryoma had cursed herself (and her mouth) after that. Whenever Miyabi and Nanko would started a conversation over dresses again, which happened to be almost every in the month before the graduation, Ryoma would find an excuse to escape the house. Either because Fuji-dono had called her for an afternoon tea time or because Touga and Sora needed her to tutor them for their French lessons. Seri always found the excuses Ryoma came up to escape away from her sister-in-law and cousin to come over the Fuji household very amusing. She enjoyed them so much that she would even offer her help to Miyabi and Nanako just to see Ryoma's reactions. The two later were absolutely thrilled while Ryoma wanted to knock herself out with her tennis racket.

* * *

One day, Seri took an appointment to the store she used to purchase her clothes to find a dress for Ryoma. Seri had also brought Touga and Sora with her. The kids were the excuse to keep Ryoma in the store. Fuji-dono had asked Ryoma to babysit them for the day. Miyabi found it hilarious that even the august Fuji-dono had consent to play such a trick on Ryoma to keep the girl from running away from the store, but she would never let her little sister-in-law know about that. At the same time, Miyabi knew that Ryoma might find an excuse to leave the store with the kids, like proposing to buy them sweets and ice cream. The kids loved her so much that they would even follow her to the end of the world. So Miyabi also brought her own weapon to keep Ryoma in place. At first, she was reluctant to do _it_ because she had always scolded Ryoga for doing _it_. But in this case, Miyabi couldn't find any other more effective use. She put her new born baby girl Nadeshiko into Ryoma's arms, much to the horror of the emeral-black haired girl.

Little Nadeshiko Yuuji was named after Ryoga's biological mother, Nadeshiko Yuuji née Nakayama. It was Miyabi's wish to name their first child after the person who had lead her to Japan toward her happiness. Ryoga was particularly touched and happy that his wife chose to name their first child after his mother. Baby Nadeshiko was only a few month old, but the little girl had an immense power on Ryoma. Ryoma, not very used around baby, was absolutely frightened by tiny Nadeshiko. When Nadeshiko was in the same room, Ryoma didn't make a sound and moved as little as it was possible. When Nadeshiko was dropped in Ryoma's arms, Ryoma would turn into a statue, her soul flying over her head. To think that Japan's number one tennis player is scared of a baby made Nanjirou and Ryoga rolled off the floor, laughing their guts out.

Even the ever serious Hiroshi couldn't help but tremble with the laugh running his body. And he just _had_ to inform the old members of Seiyou Academy tennis club about that. The same night, the ex-regulars rushed up to Ryoma's house just because they want to see if what Yagyuu told them was true. Niou, Marui, Ootori and Kirihara took a pleasure to put in and take out baby Nadeshiko from Ryoma's arms. Ryoma kept alternatively change face from relieve to horror. The best was that they could gag her without having her beating them up because she was just too scared by the baby to move. Usually, whenever Ryoga put Nadeshiko in Ryoma's arm just for the fun to see his little sister being scare out of her skin, Miyabi would soon appeared to rescue Ryoma and took Nadeshiko back to bring her little sister-in-law back to life. The only exception was that night when the ex-regulars visited the Echizen family, Miyabi let them have a little bit fun. Ever since her marriage with Ryoga, the boys had warm up to her and had accept her as a friend. At the same time, it was one of the rare reunion of the ex-tennis-regulars, so she let them having good time of being together again.

However, that day at the store, Miyabi find some useful advantage in Ryoga's latest favorite game to tease Ryoma. Right now, in a comfortable arm chair near the window, a soulless Ryoma was sat with a sleeping Nadeshiko in her arms. Touga was absolutely fascinated by Ryoma's not-that-far-from-dead state while Sora beamed over Nadeshiko's sleeping face. Meanwhile, Miyabi, Nanako with Rinko and Seri could take their time to speak with the owner of the store, who was also the store designer, without worrying about Ryoma trying to escape. The maids Kaoko and Aoko were also there. Their main work was to babysit Touga and Sora, though it wasn't that much work whenever Ryoma was around. The kids would obey to the girl's every desire. So after taking a couple of shoots and pictures of the funny sighs of Ryoma, they were now taking part into choosing a dress for the girl who was stuck with a baby in her arms near the window. Suddenly, Nadeshiko squirmed agitatedly in her sleep, making Ryoma snapped out of her soulless state and she panicked more than she was already.

_'Ahhhhhhhh! Kami-sama, help me!'_ Ryoma wanted to scream. Then, she remembered how Miyabi use to rock Nadeshiko when the baby was on the merge to cry and did the same. Nadeshiko soon sighed contentedly and snuggled into her aunt's warm chest to resume back to her afternoon nap. Surprised at how easy it was to calm down a baby, Ryoma couldn't help to look at her niece's sleeping face. Nadeshiko's chest rise up and down at a peaceful rhythm. And, against her own will, a little smile crooked the corner of her lips. Aoko snapped a shot. Seri send that picture to Syuusuke.

That picture of Ryoma surround by children: a sleeping baby in her arms, Sora smiling at the camera and Touga showing a V sign, made Syuusuke's imagination go wild. And it was because his imagination went while that he couldn't write any letters that made sense. In daytime, he only saw mothers with their children even though there were other people around him. In night time, his dreams were filled with children laugh. One particular dream was quite disturbing for him. It was Ryoma rocking a baby with chestnut hair and amber eyes. That picture kept popping up in his head day and night. He knew he loved Ryoma, but he didn't realize how much power Ryoma had on him. And that scared him the most.

* * *

Despite the two of them being part, they were still bound by the letters. But after the his mother send him Ryoma's picture, Syuusuke had the silly idea that his letters were stopping her from finding her true happiness because they cut her from finding probably more potential boyfriends - and maybe more than boyfriends. He was scared that he wasn't the right one meant for her. So he stopped sending her letters. Ironically, it was when he had decided to stop sending her letters that he started to write longer and longer letters. However, he kept them all in his desk. Then, not long after his mother letter, he received a short missive from his father.

_'Syuusuke, _

_I understand that stop giving Ryoma news about you is a way to give her freedom so she can have more choices to choose. But at the same time, it is also a proof of cowardliness from you. Son, if you continue to hide from your feelings away from her, than maybe you really don't deserve her.'_

Syuusuke froze, unable to think straigth. Keigo sighed and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Syuusuke, took the short letter his friend dropped and read it.

"Keigo, I'm going back to Japan," Syuusuke said. Keigo smirked.

"It's about time," Keigo said. He pulled out his cellphone and called for his private jet pilot. They flew back to Japan together.

End flashback

* * *

1) otosan and okasan: father and mother.

Updated on Sunday December 30, 2012. Unbeta'd.


	82. DSPDDA

A/N: Un-beta'd.

From last time...**  
**

_'Syuusuke, _

_I understand that stop giving Ryoma news about you is a way to give her freedom so she can have more choices to choose. But at the same time, it is also a proof of cowardliness from you. Son, if you continue to hide from your feelings away from her, than maybe you really don't deserve her.'_

Syuusuke froze, unable to think straight. Keigo sighed and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Syuusuke, took the short letter his friend dropped and read it.

"Keigo, I'm going back to Japan," Syuusuke said. Keigo smirked.

"It's about time," the Atobe heir said. He pulled out his cellphone and called for his private jet pilot. They flew back to Japan together.

* * *

**CHAPTER 81.** **DSPDDA - Devious Sassy Princy Demon Disguised Angel!**

"7 to 5. Game and match. Fuji Syuusuke." Tezuka called.

"Huh? H-How...?" Ryoma asked no one, dropping her racket at her feet.

How come he win? How did he do that? What do he do? And where were her mistakes? But she couldn't find an answer to any of the question. One fact didn't change: he won against her. She had overestimated her skills facing him, a tensai, and underestimated his will to win against her. Very bad move. She cursed herself.

"_^\|#]YR%()/*I!$&?!_"

Syuusuke simply crossed the court and stood in front of Ryoma.

"I win," he stated. "Do you concede?" Ryoma reluctantly nodded, but refused to look in his eyes. "You remember what we said before starting the game?" Another reluctant nod. Syuusuke reached over to take her left hand. Ryoma jumped when she felt a cold metal slide up her skin. Syuusuke secured the white gold band on her ring finger.

"Heh! What...?" Ryoma asked, looking at the yellow diamond—which she didn't notice it was the same amber color than her eyes—sitting on her finger. "What's that for?"

"This is my condition for winning the game. You are to never remove this band from this finger for the rest of your life. Only I can do it."

"_And I won't have move an inch away from your finger,"_ he silently added.

"Huh? _WHAT!_ How come? No way! No! No! _NO!_"

"Ryoma-chan, remember, you agreed to his terms before starting the game. You cannot refute back," Yukimura calmly told her.

"But..."

"Echizen, it was a fair game," Sanada said.

"And a lose is a lose," Hiroshi fallowed.

"..." Ryoma chewed her lips.

"Echizen," Tezuka simply said. Ryoma lowed her head.

"Hai..."

Tezuka, Yukimura, Sanada and Yagyuu nodded approvingly.

"Oh, and Ryoma, I _assure_ you; you _don't_ want to remove the ring," Syuusuke added with his glittery shining _angelic_ smile. Ryoma shuddered, her mind automatically translated: you remove it and it's a promise of a lot of pains. Ryoma lost her face colors.

_"He is still a sadist." _She concluded.

* * *

They gathered their stuff and left the tennis court. On the way back home, Ryoma still didn't digest that she was tricked into wearing Syuusuke's engagement ring.

_"Damn it!" _

She was now engaged to him because she lost a game against him! Argh! Who in their right mind would do such a weird proposal? By the way, in this case, the word "proposal" was just doesn't fit. It's blackmail! It's coercion! It' extortion! It's... It's... It's _illegal_!

"Shouldn't I have my opinion on this ans shouldn't proposal thingy NOT be coerced on the other party?" Ryoma stressed on the NOT word.

_"I agree with her,"_ Tezuka thought.

_"But this is Fuji Syuusuke we are talking about,"_ Hiroshi followed Tezuka's thinking.

"Once again, let me remind you, Ryoma-chan. You have agreed to my terms before we begin the game without setting out your conditions. I would not have do it if your conditions forbade me to. But since you didn't set them out, only my conditions were valid." Syuusuke said.

"Gawh!" Ryoma dropped her jaw. That meant that she had the power to prevent this... this... this forced upon her engagement! Then why didn't she... "You tricked me!" She _knew_ there was something not right in his conditions. They were just _too_ simple to be normal. Syuusuke just smiled again.

"Once again, Ryoma-chan, as Yagyuu said, a lose is a lose, so just get over it," he said.

"Hmph!" Ryoma crossed her arms, sulking, while Niou and Marui took the joy to remain her of her lose for the rest of the trip.

"Huhuhu!" Yukimura chuckled behind his hand as Tezuka, Atobe and Yagyuu sighed.

* * *

On the way back, the ex-regulars were curious at how the tensai could brush up his skills in such a short time to win against Japan number tennis player.

"The game you play was awesome, Fuji-senpai! How did you do that? Where you secretly training while you where in England and not tell anyone? It must be because it it impossible to win against her otherwise!" Kirihara said, adding more salt on Ryoma's wound.

"Huhuhu," Syuusuke chuckled while looking at the still sulking petite form walking next to him. She still refused to look at him, but since she accepted him walking next to her, he considered it as an improvement.

"Let say I had help." Syuusuke said, extending his arms to pull her against him. She was about to jump away but he kept a firm hand her shoulders. So she pouted (and sulked) for the rest of the trip back home.

It was true he didn't seriously play tennis while he was at Cambridge. However, before facing Ryoma, he played against Ryoga and Nanjirou. There was too little time for him to re-polish his rusted skills before confronting her. Thus, the only way to have a fast and efficient tennis update was playing against tennis players who Ryoma was still struggling against to win. When he presented his request for help to the two Echizen men, he expected to be chewed by them, but he was ready for anything just to win against Ryoma. Surprisingly, they simply told him to change clothes and joined them on the court.

* * *

Flashback

"I need your help," was the first thing Syuusuke said when Ryoaga opened him the door. Ryoga and Nanjirou only smirked and invited him inside.

Exactly as Seri and Sennosuke had predicted, Syuusuke came to them. Both parents had talked to the two Echizen men into convincing them to help their son to win against Ryoma. They were absolutely sure that Syuusuke would come to the Echizen men to brush up his sleeping skills.

"Just aim at his weakest points and I promise you will have a fare share of fun," Sennosuke said. The two Echizen men grinned. They would never let go of a promising challenge.

"I advise you to look at this," Seri said, putting a DVD on the table. "It's the record of Syuusuke latest games before leaving for Great Britain."

Ryoga grabbed the DVD and shoved it inside the VCR. The men watched the games while the women while the women had women talk (Seri and Rinko), serving tea and sweet (Miyabi) or cooing over a giggling little baby girl (Nanako).

Thus, when Syuusuke showed up, Ryoga and Nanjirou didn't wast time to wake up the tensai's sleeping tennis skills. Under their guidance, he was ready to face Ryoma.

End flashback

* * *

The other boys returned back to their place while Hiroshi and Syuusuke escorted Ryoma back home. As Ryoma opened the entrance door, Syuusuke saw his parents' shoes.

_"So, otousan and okasan are already here."_

It seemed like his father's intuition worked again, so he didn't have to tell the news twice. Syuusuke silently chuckled. His parents were just making thing easier for him to handle.

"Ryoma-chan, you're back! And with Syuusuke-kun and Hiroshi-kun too! Okaeri!" Nanako excitedly greeted them.

"Tadaima," Ryoma gave out an exhausted sigh. It had been a long day for her.

Everyone in the household turned over when they heard the tired sigh. Then, they saw the yellow glittery piece of jewellery sitting on Ryoma's left hand. They oh-ed, their hand in front of their oh-ed mouth. Illumination came upon them.

_"She is engaged,"_ they concluded.

Usually, such a discovery—such a happy news—should be something to rejoice about. However, the gloomy state Ryoma was in told them it was not the time to rejoice. Yet.

_"And she lost against him,"_ was the second conclusion illuminating them.

But they will rejoice later. For sure. Karupin, Kurin and Mii also read their mistress' mood. They didn't jump on her to greet her back home like they always do. They stood where they were, watching the depressed white soul hanging on the top of their mistress's head. Only the Fuji family members found the situation at their advantage. They chuckled softly. As for the Yuuji-Echizen family members, they silently watched Ryoma walked—dragged herself—up stair.

_"Really, it has been a very long day."_ Ryoma sighed again.

* * *

Meanwhile, down stair, some people demanded some explanations.

"So, Syuusuke-kun, how did you manage to have her wear your ring? She hates wearing any piece of jewellery on her." Ryoga asked.

"She accepted the condition of the game before we started, without having the slightest idea of the consequence of doing so. I won the game and the price I asked was to have her wear my ring," Syuusuke simply said.

"Really? You _asked_ her?" Seri repeated after him, her left eye brow raised doubtfully. Sennosuke smiled behind her tea cup, also having the same thinking lines than his wife.

"Hum," Syuuske pretended thinking, a finger on his chin. "Maybe I have forced her to accept my ring and _insisted_ that she _doesn't want_ to remove the ring on her own," he said, smiling his usual smile.

"She _doesn't want_ to remove the ring?" Sennosuke insisted for more explanations.

"It's a promise that I will make her so happy that she would never want to remove it," Syuusuke smiled. But Sennosuke knew him better.

"And did she understand these words as they are? Knowing Ryoma-chan, I would say that she must have hear some threat in them," his father said.

"Hum... It serves at my advantage to make her believe there is a threat underneath, but she doesn't need to know it," the tensai supplied.

"So you admit you have somehow threat her?" Ryoga asked.

"Hum, maybe I did something like that," Syuusuke said innocently, cocking his head.

"He said it in the way that she heard a threat underneath. While knowing she is bad with them, he played a game of words against her. Again," Hiroshi concluded and sipped in the tea cup Miyabi just served him.

"Hahahaha!" Besides the two Echizen men, everybody in the room laughed, including baby Nadeshiko, thought she doesn't know why. She just knew that it must be something fun so she wanted to have fun too. As for Nanjirou and Ryoga, they were rolling on the floor, their hands clutching their aching stomach.

"Wuahahaha!" the two Echizen men laughed. It was a devious scheme, but it was an efficient scheme.

"I like really you," Nanjirou said, hitting Syuusuke in the shoulder.

"You're good for her," Ryouga added, wiping a tear from his eyes. He laughed so hard that he was crying.

"And Seri, that was so evil from you sending that picture to Syuusuke," Sennosuke said. "If I didn't send that short notice to him to call him back, he might went crazy."

"Huhuhu!" Seri and Rinko giggled. "But it works. He came back and took the necessary measures to win back Ryoma," Seri replied.

Really, deviousness ran in the family.

* * *

Meanwhile, in her room, Ryoma... was sulking. She looked at the... at the... at the _thingy_ thing encircling the fourth finger of her left hand. She now realized she fell straight into his trap. She should have set her own conditions of the limit of thing the winner had the right to do. She should have doubt about something unusual. She should have detect the abnormality of his condition. But she was blind by her own anger and didn't see the trap. And now... Now, she was stuck with the yellow thingy on her hand. And for the rest of her life.

"Devious sassy princy demon disguised angel..." she mumbled.

Yet, her lips couldn't help but stretched into a small smile. The moon reflect on the stone sitting on her finger. She brought her right hand to touch the surface of the polish yellow diamond. It was very smooth.

"Syuusuke..." his name escaped from her lips without asking her opinion. Her cheeks took a soft pinky tint before she surrendered herself into a smile.

"Oh well, as Hiroshi-nii-sama said, a lose is a lose. As well get over it!"

She stood up and went down to join the people who where rejoicing themselves downstairs.

"Ah, Ryoma-chan! I was about to call you. Please help me with these!" Miyabi said, her stand carrying a tray of sweet.

"Hai, nee-chan!"

Syuusuke stood up to come over her. She was about to back off, but he pulled her in his arm and kissed her on the temple. Ryoma hissed like a cat. Sennosuke, Seri, Rinko chuckled while Miyabi and Nanako giggled at the scene. Hiroshi kept nursing impassively his tea cup, not bothered by anything happening around him. Next, Syuusuke pulled Ryoma to sit beside him. Then, he took giggling little baby Nadeshiko to put her in Ryoma's arms. Nadeshiko immediately squealed out of joy. She was back into her favorite aunt's arms. Nadeshiko's squeal send Ryoma's soul flying straight out into the sky.

From his mother's letter, Syuusuke knew about Ryoma's reaction to the baby, but he wanted to watch life his fantasy of Ryoma with little Nadeshiko. The new happily engaged fiancé concluded that really, seeing his fantasy life was _wayyy_ better than only on a snap shot! And baby Nadeshiko was far from complaining, judging from her numerous happy gurgles and babbles. Syuusuke smiled, making a mental note to dote more often on baby Nadeshiko's joy...

For his own fantasy...

Until he had his own child to dote on.

With his (stubborn) new (still, but not for long) (un)happily engaged fiancée.

And it won't be long before he have his own child to dote on.

And children.

**OWARI **

**THE END**

* * *

Updated on Tuesday January 1, 2013. Unbeta'd.


	83. Omake Hair Short Story

A/N: Unbeta'd.

* * *

**CHAPTER 82. OMAKE HAIR SHORT STORY **

**RYOMA'S HAIR SHORT STORY**

We all know Ryoma favored having short hair. Short hair and tennis are a super great combinaison. Otherwise, long hair is a real bothersome for playing tennis. However, after her marriage, Ryoma let her hair grow.

"Why?" Might you wonder.

The answer? One word.

"Syuusuke."

"How?" Might you wonder again.

"See down here," is my reply.

So here is Ryoma's long hair short story.

* * *

It must be an after effect of the _loooooong_ absence that Syuusuke had developed for being far away from Ryoma for too much time. After being sure that Ryoma was engaged to him—and that she stayed that way—, Syuusuke returned back to the United-Kingdom to get his degrees. However, he also had to advance in his academic course for his future career. Since Syuusuke didn't like the idea to be separated for much longer time away from Ryoma, he speed up by two the process to get a master's, then his doctoral and hurried back to Japan. Having a fiancée (unwillingly) waiting for you was for sure a strong motivation.

Him back to Japan, Ryoma was happy. But at the same time, she was damn right annoyed by him. Syuusuke became _wayyyyyy tooo_ much more annoying than he was before his _loooong_ absence.

Here why.

Ever since he was back, Syuusuke just loved to have her with him. By his side. Next to him. Beside him. _Glued_ to him. Despite how many times Ryoma remind his that she too liked to have a personal space, Syuusuke kept ignoring it and kept invading said space.

"It's been so long and I missed you so much!" he used to retort (whim).

But more annoying than having her personal space invaded, it that Syuusuke kept remind Ryoma that she... lacked in height.

_Twitch!_ A read vein popped on Ryoma's forehead.

For a reason Ryoma cannot explain, while she had her father's eyes, she didn't have his height. She didn't even have her mother's height. Instead, she had her grandmother's height. Who was shorter than her mother by a head.

_Twitch! Twitch! _Ryoma twitched at the implication underneath.

Ryoma wondered if her father's height genes really hated her because they refused to deliver out their code, keeping it locked and unexpressed, well hided somewhere in her (messed up) DNA chains. And her mother's height genes must be asleep, slacking on its job. Her grandmother' s gene had to cover up her father's resentful gene and her mother's lazy gene. Thus, Ryoma was doomed that she that cannot grow any taller for the rest of her life. The milk regime her previous data-maniac-senpai Inui Sadaharu only helped gained a couple of inches to reach her mother's head level ("Why not some feet more?" Ryoma whined), but she could only reach Syuusuke's shoulders. And Syuusuke loved it because her petiteness made her fit marvelously well on his lap.

* * *

"What's the link with the long hair?" You might wonder.

"Continue reading and see," I tell you.

So, Syuusuke loved to invade her personal space. Loved to have her on his lap. And loved to remind her of her... lack of height.

_Twitch! Twitch! Twitch!_

All things that annoyed Ryoma immensely. But what annoyed Ryoma above everything and everything was that Syuusuke became rather... _touchy_ ever since her returned back to Japan. He kept grop-... err, _touching_ her everywhere and every times he had a chance. Which he had a lot. Because he cheated on Fate to increase the number of chances in his favor, despite the limited number of chances one person is allowed to have in one life time cycle. He gave explanation for his _touchiness_ as her gaining some curves during the years he was away and missed her changes, so he was making up to them. His first favorite activity after his returning was to discover every thing about Ryoma... and her no-longer-a-teenager-but-now-a-young-adult body... with his hands.

"You're just being a pervert. Simply admit it. _AND DO SOMETHING TO STOP IT!_" Ryoma admonished. But a mischievous hand sliding up toward her... left upper body part immediately stopped her screaming.

"Eeeeep!" Ryoma froze in his arms, dread that he continued any further because they were in a public place.

"Huhuhuhu," he chuckled in her neck, his warm breath sending freezing chills down her spine.

Thanks Heaven, Ryoma find a way to cool down his (perverted) ardour.

Her hair.

* * *

Yes, her hair.

Her hair was Heaven send rescue from Syuusuke's perv-... _touchiness_!

She once noticed that when he played with her hair (which he also often do), he was much more subdue in his... explorations of her being. Syuusuke liked to run his fingers through her hairs, marveling at their softness. However, since her hair were short, he couldn't run very far his hand for a very long time. So he ran his hands somewhere else. South direction. Down there... Down _there_!

Ryoma tried something. She first experimented to let her hair grow a little bit more length to see if they can keep Syuusuke's hands up there for a longer time.

They did. His hands stayed longer in her hair (and less on the other parts of her body). Ryoma let her hair grow extra length down her back!

"Why?" Miyabi once asked her, very pleased with the change. With long hair, Ryoma looked very much like a young lady, and a very pretty young lady.

"I rather have his hands in my hair than on some other parts of my body," Ryoma had retorted, making Ryoga spurted in his coffee and Nanjirou grinned stupidly. However, Rinko and Nanako found the thing very amusing. They _giggled_! Much to Ryoma's dismay.

* * *

"How about Syuusuke? What does he think about that? Does he know the reason of Ryoma's change of hair?" you asked me.

"What do you think?" I asked you back.

Well _duh_!

_Of course_ (I _insited_) he was aware of her scheme.

How can he _not_ be aware of it?

In case you have forgotten (which it seems to be), let me remind you.

His name is Fuji Syuusuke.

_Fuji _Syuusuke_._

_THE_ one and only ONE _Fuji Syuusuke_.

A tensai!

Does tensai rings any bells to you?

Of course he would know about Ryoma's true motivation!

_Duh!_

Syuusuke knew very well why Ryoma let her hair grow. But he just played along with her game.

"Why would he do that?" you asked.

Syuusuke smirked at the question, but wouldn't answer you. Which left me.

"Why me?" I asked him. "It's about you, so answer to them!"

"Huhuhu!" he answered.

*sigh* That answer basically meant he won't be answering with words, but only with his annoying incessant chuckling. So, here you're back to me. Much to my dismay. *sight*

So here's the answer.

"Because he found a weak spot behind Ryoma's head, just below her cerebellum, on the left side."

Ryoma was surprisingly sensible at this particular spot. With only one slight pressure on that spot, Ryoma completely subdue to any of his touchs. All her defenses shut down, leaving her completely relax, like a mass of melting goo. Syuusuke took that opportunity to pull her against his chest, which she leaned on without professing any protest. And he kept massaging non stop that spot to keep her relaxed against him.

After a nice massaging session on under her cerebellum left side spot, Ryoma showed less resistance when he want to... explore more her body... in the privacy of their bedroom. So, Syuusuke often played in her hair to take advantage of that weak spot to have her completely subdue to his... seduction session on her during being during night time. He was also aware that she loved it when he touched her on that spot because he made her feel good, though she would never openly admitted it.

So, Ryoma kept thinking that her long hair would kept Syuusuke more sober in his courting on her. She just didn't know that Syuusuke let her believe so because it served his... hidden 'ardourous' advantages.

* * *

A/N: There will be an epilogue for close up the story. Next chapter: Epilogue.

Update on Friday January 11, 2013. Unbeta'd.


	84. Epiiiiiiiiiiiiiilogue

A/N: **_WARNIIIIIIIIIIING! PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING! _**I know there are a lot of people who don't like reading epilogue and just prefer an ending. So for these people, immediately stop here and don't read anymore. For the rest, just scroll down here.

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A/N2: Unbeta'd.

* * *

**CHAPTER 82. EPILOGUE**

Flashback

Some years ago.

After a year living in France, Ryoga and Miyabi came to Japan. They had decided to settle down in Ryoga's biological parents home, the Yuuji household. Ever since the young couple returned back to Japan, Miyabi had not been very well. She cannot go anywhere too far and not for a very long time. So, to avoid tiring Miyabi, family gatherings are hold at the Yuuji household instead, which why Ryoma and her parents were at the moment. A maid was serving tea and sweets when Ryoga and Miyabi entered the room. Ryoga was supporting Miyabi in his arms, helping her taking one step at the time. Rinko reached out to help Miyabi sitting next to her.

Lately, Miyabi had a lot of difficulty to sleep. She had very short night rest, often felt tired and her body ached there and there. However, being who she was, Miyabi wasn't complaining. She had a very caring husband who answers to her every needs, a concerning mother-in-law about her well-being, a father-in-law who didn't act as if she had a problem to make her feel easy, a cousin-in-law who lately always made all her favorite Japanese sweets and a cute little sister-in-law who was still as cute as she was before Miyabi left for France.

Rinko often cooked for Miyabi very healthy meals for women with a weak body in order to improve for Miyabi's conditions. When Nanako go to the super market, she took twice time than usual to select choose the freshest of the freshest and the most nutritious. She also took time to explain to Ryoma how this one was better than that one.

"Ryoma and selecting food in one sentence? Noooo!" you would say, jumping in the sky.

You are right.

"Ryoma" and "selecting food" in one sentence is downright awkward. But in this particular case, yes, "Ryoma" and "selecting food" are in one sentence. So, get down on earth now and sit down on your chair so I can continue my story!

Unless you want a ball square in the face with the courtesy of a pissed off Ryoma for doubting her capacity to do so, that's it. (You are also right for doubting her in that department, but I advise you to keep that shut in your head or voice it out only when Ryoma is not around. And _DON'T_ listen to Syuusuke when he suggests you to do the contrary! Let me remind you that he is a sadist and seeing you in pain is a joyful show for him.)

"Huhuhuhu!" someone chuckled in the room.

"Syusuke, shut up! You, the readers here, don't smirk in amusement. Watching people in pain is NOT an entertainment show for normal people (as you are supposed to be)! And you, the readers over there, stop trembling like a leaf and sweating cold at his sadistic laugh! You are supposed to get used to it by now already!" I said.

Now, where was I?

Oh yeah!

Here.

So, because Ryoma too wanted to help Miyabi, that's why in this particular case, "Ryoma" and "selecting food" are put together in one sentence. Ryoma cannot cook like her mother or Nanako, so she learned what she can by helping Nanako do the grocery. Miyabi was more than happy of her life despite her late weaker physical conditions. She loved her family-in-law and she felt loved too.

* * *

Ryoga pulled out the chair and slowly help Miyabi sitting down. One sat, Miyabi raised her blue eyes to meet his caring ones. Her eyes reflected her happiness despite them being a little bit tired following the short trip from her room down to the salon. Ryoga smiled at her and closed his hand over the small hand he was holding. Slowly, he bend down to meet her lips, kissing her tenderly. It was the picture of a perfect loving husband and wife. But for Ryoma, who was looking at them with an eyebrow raised, something was wrong in the picture. Miyabi was the "something wrong" element in the picture.

"Nee-chan, you're fat," Ryoma blurted, looking pointedly at Miyabi.

"_PFFFFFFFUTTT!_" Ryoga and Nanjirou choked as Miyabi was completely in shock. She stared straight at Ryoma, unable to move.

"You're fat, nee-chan!" Ryoma insisted again. Tears started to appear in Miyabi's eyes. She tried. She tried hard, really hard. She did everything she could to contain herself. But at the end, she couldn't. She cracked.

"Hu-... Hu-... Hu-... Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!" Miyabi laughed, crying tears while holding her belly with her two hands. She laughed so hard that it hurts. Yet, she couldn't stop laughing. While Miyabi kept laughing, Nanjirou and Ryoga gawked at Ryoma.

"Huhuhuhu!" Rinko chuckled behind her hand.

"Oh, Ryoma-chan, that's not a nice thing to say," Nanako gently scowled.

"But she is fat," Ryoma insisted again, much to her brother's exasperation and her father's more scandalous face. "Look at her, she is as huge as a whale!"

"Hahahahahaha!" Miyabi laughed louder, now closing her arms around her.

"Bishoujo, that's not a nice thing to say to a girl," Nanjirou said. "You are a girl, you should know that!"

"Oyajii, did you ever saw her acting like a girl?" Ryoga asked.

"Ah, that's true. I never saw it once before," Nanjirou said. Ryoma scoffed. Meanwhile, Miyabi was still laughing.

"Hahahahaha!" Miyabi wiped the tears in her eyes. "Ryoma-chan, hahahaha! It's only temporary! Hahahaha!" Ryoma cocked her head. Miyabi tried (and failed) to calm down. "Once the baby will be born, I will be back my normal weight," Miyabi explained, caressing tenderly her very bulging pregnant belly.

Lately, Miyabi had shorter night rest because the baby was moving more and more. The future mother cannot walk anywhere to far because it makes her feet ached. Having less recuperation, Miyabi was often tired. However, she was a happy young future mother. Because she wanted their first child to be born in Japan, which makes Ryoga happier than he thought he was, she insisted on flying back to the land of sakura despite her delicate conditions. Once back to Japan, Rinko and Nanako immediately took care of her on the pregnancy issues. With them around her, Miyabi could finish her pregnancy term at ease.

Ryoma pouted at her sister-in-law's explanation.

"But you're still fat!" she stubbornly said.

"Hahahahahaha!" Miyabi exploded in laugh again. Nanjirou sighed of exasperation while Rinko chuckled. Ryoga was a little depressed. Miyabi wasn't mad at her sister-in-law calling her "fat" while he almost got kill for buying a larger dress to make it easier for her to move.

_"Why Chibisuke always get the best of everything from Miyabi and not me, her husband?"_ he whined, sighing.

End flashback

* * *

Present time. Some years later. Fuji mansion.

The Rolls Royce stopped in front of the mansion. The driver opened the door and Fuji Syuusuke stepped out.

"Okaeri, Fuji-sama," Shindou-san and the servants greeted him, bowing.

"Tadaima," Syuusuke said.

"Fuji-sama, hime-sama is in the yellow room with her family," Shindou said. Syuusuke's lips stretched into a small smile. Despite after so many years and despite Ryoma's new status, Shindou kept calling her as 'hime' instead of 'oku-sama' (1). And the rest of the staff also followed Shindou's example, referring Ryoma as 'hime' because they just loved calling her 'hime' more than 'oku-sama'. Ryoma was their 'little queen' princess.

"Thank you, Shindou-san," Syuusuke said. "I will be joining them in the yellow room. Please, prepare us a light meal."

"Hai, Fuji-sama," Shindou bowed and left toward the kitchen.

* * *

In the yellow room.

Ryoga and Hiroshi were discussing about their business and were asking for Sennosuke's insight and Nanjirou's opinion. Why Nanjirou's opinion? Ryoma had no idea. Apparently, Hiroshi-nii-sama always found an outsider's opinion to be valuable. Her mother was talking with her mother-in-law Seri and grandmother-in-law Fuji-dono about stuff that Ryoma don't want to know about. Actually, Ryoma don't care about anything happening around her lately. She was often felt tired because of numerous sleepless nights. She could have stayed in her room to rest, but she liked to be surrounded by her family (otherwise, boredom would have kill her). Karupin was snuggled against her, sharing with her his peace. Mii licked her cheek to show her compassion. Ryoma smiled and raised her hand to scratch Mii's head. Miyabi, who was sitting not far from Ryoma, smiled indulgently at her little sister as she was rocking to sleep her eight months old little girl, Otaru Yuuji. She knew about the little suffering Ryoma was going through. Then, Miyabi saw her second child, Charles Nokoru Yuuji, two years old, left the playground to bring Ryoma his plushy white owl toy. Ryoma gave him a small smile before accepting the gift and patted him on his head as a thank you. Pleased with himself, Nokoru returned back on the playground to play with Sora and his sister Nadeshiko, now four years old.

Touga and Sora were there too. They often stopped by their grandparents' place after school ever since Ryoma had started leaving there. As soon as Syuusuke entered the room, Touga and Sora were the first ones to greet him.

"Syuu-niichan, okaeri," Touga and Sora chorused. Syuusuke smiled.

"Tadaima," he said. He walked to Rinko and to Nanjirou to greet them too.

"Otou-sama, oka-sama (2), konnichiwa."

"Konnichiwa, Syuusuke," Rinko greeted back, smiling.

"Hun," Nanjirou nodded to him.

"Chichi, haha (3), obaa-sama, tadaima," Syuusuke great Sennosuke, Seri and his grand-mother.

"Okaeri, Syuusuke," Seri said. Sennosuke and Fuji-dono nodded at him.

Syuusuke nodded to Ryoga and to Miyabi, who returned his greeting too. Lastly, he walked to Ryoma, a tender smiled gracing his lips. Ryoma was too tired to get up to greet him. Instead, she raised her hand up to him, which he took it and close his fingers around it. He bended down to her and their lips met. Usually, Ryoma would come to him to greet him, but lately it was difficult for her to do it. Her physical condition made it very hard for her. She was often tired lately.

"Tadaima, anata (4)," Syuusuke whispered.

"Okaeri," Ryoma said, smiling to him. "How was your day?"

"Good, thank you," Syuusuke said, sitting down next do her. He put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her to him. "How are you two doing?" he asked, putting his hand on her bulging belly.

"Tired, but happy," Ryoma said, leaning in hid warmth. Because of the baby moving in her all night long, Ryoma couldn't rest. That was why she was so often tired, but she wasn't complaining.

Syuusuke felt a kick under his hand as respond from his future child. Syuusuke's eyes open at this pleasant surprise, a wide smile spreading on his face. Ryoma smiled as he caressed the spot where he felt the kick from his soon-to-be-born son or daughter. Touga was glaring at Ryoma's huge belly.

"Nee-chan, you're fat!" Touga blurt. Everybody in the room froze while Ryoma just turned around to look at Touga.

"Hah?" Was her only answer.

Besides Ryoma, the people in the roome were divided into various categories. The first category of absolutely scandalized person was Fuji-dono. The second category of stoic person was impersonified by Hiroshi, who was sipping his Earl Grey tea. After his cousin, nothing could surprise him anymore. Rinko and Seri discretely chuckled behind their hand. Syuusuke and Sennosuke tried discretely (_Yeah, right!_) to muffle their laugh in their hand while Ryoga and Nanjirou unashamedly gaffed like no tomorrow. Even Nadeshiko was rolling on the floor, imitating her father and grandfather.

"Hihihihi!" Nadeshiko wasn't trying (not very hard) to control herself at her young aunt's predicament. Nokoru flapped his arms in the air as he laughed too. The wolf plush toy in his hand was flunk away to fly straight into Nanjirou's face.

At the end, the joyful atmosphere also win over Fuji-dono, who couldn't keep her lips from twitching into a little smile as she laid her eyes on the future young mother of her next soon-to-be-born-great-grandchild. Even since Ryoma moved in the Fuji household, life had become so much more pleasant. She had become very fond on the new grand-daughter-in-law of the Fuji family.

"Touga, that's not a nice thing to say," Sora said as she pulled Nadeshiko up and cleaned the little girl's dress. She also kept Noruko from imitating his sister and rolled on the floor too.

"But I'm just stating a fact," Touga said. "Look at her. She is as huge as a whale!"

"Hah," Ryoma plainly respond again.

"Hahahaha!" More laughs resonated in the room. Miyabi smiled at Touga's comment as she shifted Otaru in her arms.

"This reminds of a déjà-vu a few years ago." Miyabi said, chuckling softly. Ryoma pouted at the implication underneath.

"Touga, it's only temporary. Once the baby will be born, I will be back my normal weight," Ryoma retorted. Miyabi laughed as Ryoma repeated the same words she said before.

"But you're still fat!" Touga insisted.

"Hahahahaha!" Ryoga and Miyabi laughed while Ryoma sighed.

"A déjà-vu? Tell me more about that." Syuusuke said.

Ryoga and Nanjirou proceed to tell him about the time Miyabi was first pregnant with Nadeshiko. While listening to them, Syuusuke massage Ryoma on the neck, on _that_ spot, making her relax against him. Ryoma couldn't sleep well with an (overly) excited baby in her very round belly, but Syuusuke's touch has magical effect on her. And on the baby too. The young future mother and her soon-to-be-born baby drifted off to a nice slumber under the enchanting touch of one Fuji Syuusuke.

* * *

Night time.

_"Hmm... "_ the little baby sighed contently as he sinked in the warmth of his mother.

_"Hey, wait, but I want to see the outside. Hmm... Kaa-san, I want to go out. Now!"_

Ryoma awoke with a start, shooting up from the bed. Feeling her sudden awake, Syuusuke opened his eyes and raised on his elbow.

"Ryoma, what's wrong?"

Ryoma put a hand on her belly and turned sheepishly to him.

"I think it's time," she said before grimacing under a contraction. Syuusuke grabbed the telephone on the bed table.

"Shindou-san, it looks like we are ahead of schedule. Call Kaoko-san and Aoko-san. Ryoma will be needing them. Now."

"Kashikomarimashita, Fuji-sama."

Next, Syuusuke switched his attention back to Ryoma to help her.

"It looks like the baby want to be born sooner than we expected," Syuusuke said, trying to distract her from.

"You think I didn't notice?!" Ryoma retorted, but was cut off by a sharp pain. "Ahhh!" Her water broke.

"Hime-sama!" the maid rushed in the master bedroom as they hear Ryoma's scream. They hurried over her to put her at ease. Despite being pulled out of the bed at such an mad morning hour, the maids, still cladded in their pajamas, were grinning excitedly. A baby was coming today and they will be the first eyewitnesses. They grabbed blankets and pillows and set everything to welcome the like tyke.

Shindou stepped in the room, thought he was already primly dressed in his uniform. Being the perfectly trained butler he was, it took him least than 60 seconds to dress up.

"Fuji-sama, hime-sama, Yagyuu-sama is on his way here with the ambulance. I send the driver to get hime's parents," Shindou said, putting down a large buck of hot water he was carrying. He immediately spun on his heels, just in time before he was knocked out with the new comers who were flying in the room.

"Ryoma-chan!" Seri exclaimed and rushed toward her daughter-in-law. Sennosuke appeared one second after her.

* * *

At the first glance at Ryoma, it didn't take a lot of times to Hiroshi to reach his final conclusion.

"The baby won't be waiting until we reach the hospital to be born," he said.

"Onii-sama, I don't care if the baby wants to be out at the hospital or half way to the hospital, just make the pain stop! Ahhhhhhhh!" a sharp cry made Ryoma stop talking.

And as Hiroshi expected, the ambulance was useless. Yousuke Fuji was a too lazy baby to patiently wait until the expected date of the next week to come out into the world or even patiently waiting to reach the hospital to be born. Instead, he just decided to do as he liked and be born in less than 45 minutes after he had taken his decision to go out and say hello to his parents.

* * *

The next morning (or the sme morning of that eventful birthday).

Fuji Yousuke was being cooed by the extended family of his father and his mother while he completely ignored them to enjoy his nap. The first task he had set for himself after coming into the world was saying hello to his mother and his father (on the top of his lunges). He never set himself the task to say hello to other people, so he decided to sleep in their face.

"Syuusuke, this is all your fault that Yousuke is not doing what is expecting from him, be born before the due date and not even in a hospital," Ryoma said.

"But Ryoma, that also applies to you. Have you ever did something that was expected from you?" Syuusuke asked back, smiling pleasantly.

"She never did," Nanjirou, Ryoga and Hiroshi chorused while Syuusuke, Miyabi, Rinko, Seri and Sennosuke chuckled. Ryoma only pouted.

"Huh!"

For sure, with such a clearly defined caracter already, Fuji Yousuke was a promise of a very eventful parenthood life for both his parents. And Fuji Syuusuke being Fuji Syuusuke, who liked to be a sadist, had already scheduled ahead three more children to have three times more fun. Despite what Ryoma might think about that.

**The end of the end.**

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1) oku-sama: Madam. Usually designed to call the mistress of a house. If said with a Tokyo accent, you 'eat' the sound 'u', which would become 'ok'-sama'. If said with the Osaka accent, then the two syllables are clearly pronounced, becoming 'o-ku-sama'.

2) otou-sama, oka-sama: father and mother.

3) chichi, haha: also father and mother. The difference with 'otou-sama' and 'oka-sama' is that 'chichi' and 'haha' are referred to your own parents. If you are talking about other people's parents, then you referred them as 'otou-san' and 'oka-san'. For example, if you ask "What is your father's/mother's name?" to someone else, it would be "Kimi no otou-san/oka-san no namae wa nan desu ka?" If you talk about your parents, it would be "Watashi no chichi/haha no namae wa [insert names] desu" (My father's/mother's name is [insert name]).

4) anata: you and an appellation between spouses.

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Update on Wednesday, June 05, 2013. Unbeta'd.


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